s 


ALLAN  PINKERTON'S 


DETECTIVE  STORIES. 


CLAUDE  MELNOTTE 


AS  A  DETECTIVE, 


AND  OTHER  STORIES. 


BY  ALLAN  PINKERTON, 

AUTHOR  OF  "THE  EXPRESSMAN  AND  THE  DETECTIVE,"  ETC. 


CHICAGO: 

W.    B.    KEEN,    COOKE   &   CO. 

113  AND  115  STATE  STREET. 

1875- 


JL 


co.e  *  '• fit 


A.  D.  1875. 


HAZLITT  <Sr  REED, 

Printers 


MARDHR,  LUSE  &  Co., 

Klectrotypers. 


PREFACE. 


THE  stories  which  compose  this  volume  are  taken 
from  the  author's  original  notes  on  three  actual 
cases,  which  were  placed  in  his  hands  several  years  ago. 
Whatever  else  may  be  said  of  these  tales,  they  cannot  be  f 
denied  the  merit  of  strict  truthfulness  ;  and  it  is  to  this 
quality,  more  than  to  any  pretensions  to  literary  excel 
lence,  that  the  author  trusts  in  presenting  them  to  the 
public. 

The  patrons  of  the  old  Clifton  House  in  Chicago  will 
readily  recall  the  occurrences  related  in  "  Claude  Mel- 
notte,"  and  many  of  the  regular  boarders  will  recognize 
the  characters  herein  depicted.  In  some  very  minor 
details,  a  small  ingredient  of  fiction  has  been  introduced, 
but  the  accuracy  of  the  story  has  not  been  perceptibly 
affected  thereby.  It  is  hardly  necessary  to  state  that  the 
names  given  are  all  fictitious  ;  the  characters,  however, 
are  genuine,  and  the  localities  are  correctly  described. 

The  same  is  the  case  with  the  dramatis  persona  of  the 
"Two  Sisters";  but,  for  obvious  reasons,  the  scene  of 
the  abduction  is  located  at  some  distance  from  the  town 
where  it  actually  occurred. 

The  operations  of  Jules  Imbert,  "  The  Frenchman," 
are  given  literally,  without  the  slightest  departure  from 
the  facts. 

ALLAN    PINKERTON. 

CHICAGO,  March,  1875. 


M78933 


PUBLISHERS'  NOTICE. 


IN  presenting  the  second  volume  of  Allan  Pinkerton's 
stories  to  the  public,  the  publishers  need  only  refer 
briefly  to  the  world- wide  reputation  of  the  author :  his 
name  is  known  everywhere  throughout  the  United  States, 
Canada,  and  Great  Britain  as  the  Master  Detective  of  the 
time,  and  his  experience  in  his  profession  has  been  so 
varied  that  he  can  verify,  in  many  of  the  incidents  of  his 
own  life,  that  "truth  is  stranger  than  fiction." 

The  first  volume,  "The  Expressman  and  the  Detective," 
issued  in  November,  1874,  furnished  a  complete  and  sat 
isfactory  test  of  the  popularity  of  this  kind  of  story;  its 
almost  unparalleled  success  clearly  showed  not  only  the 
public  interest  in  Mr.  Pinkerton,  but,  also,  in  the  facts 
upon  which  the  tale  was  founded.  An  idea  of  the  de 
mand  for  the  first  book  may  be  gained  from  the  fact  that 
fifteen  thousand  copies  were  sold  in  less  than  sixty  days 
after  its  publication,  and  the  total  sale  has  now  reached 
twenty  thousand. 

"Claude  Melnotte  as  a  Detective,"  the  first  story  in 
the  second  volume,  presents  the  humorous  and  agreeable 
side  of  the  detective's  duties ;  the  second  story  gives  a 
darker  view,  showing  that  he  must  often  encounter  great 
dangers,  play  a  part  in  great  tragedies,  and  witness  the 


PUBLISHERS'  NOTICE.  7 

saddest  scenes;  the  third  tale  is  one  of  unusual  import 
ance  to  the  business  and  banking  community,  illustrating, 
as  it  does,  the  skill  and  ingenuity  of  the  higher  class  of 
forgers. 

The  variety  of  subjects  can  hardly  fail  to  lend  addi 
tional  interest  to  this  book,  and  the  publishers  confidently 
anticipate  a  greater  sale  than  has  been  obtained  for  its 
predecessor  in  the  series. 

The  third  volume — now  in  the  course  of  preparation — 
will  contain  two  distinct  stories,  viz.: 

"THE  MURDERER  AND  THE  FORTUNE  TELLER;" 

and 
"THE  MODEL  TOWN  AND  THE  DETECTIVES." 

Other  stories  will  appear  from  time  to  time  and  will  be 
duly  announced  by  their  titles.  The  present  work  will 
appear  in  the  United  States  and  Canada,  and  the  suc 
ceeding  volumes  will  be  published  simultaneously  in 
Chicago,  and  in  London,  England. 

W.  B.  KEEN,  COOKE  &  Co. 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


I.    FRONTISPIECE. 

II.  As  the  gentleman  walked  leisurely  to  the  desk  to  register 

his  name,  we  saw  a  very  distinguished  looking  person 25 

III.  When  they  had  finished  their  cigars,  Mr.  Bright  invited 
the  Prince  into  the   parlor,  where   a  bevy  of   ladies  had 
gathered 33 

IV.  "  Oh  !  most  cruel  Diana  !  "  urged  the  Prince,  seizing  her 
hand,  "  I  cannot  —  will  not  leave  you  until  your  sweet  face 
I  see,"  saying  which,  he  kissed  her  hand  passionately,  with 
out  rebuke. 79 

V.  Having   satisfied   himself  a  second    time    that  he  was  not 
watched,  he  darted  quickly  to  the  Prince's  side,  seized  the 
pocket-book  between  his  forefinger  and  thumb,  and  dexter 
ously  pulled  it  from  the  pocket _ 100 

VI.     "Bright,  is  this  money  yours  or  mine?"  I  asked 107 

VII.  So  she  collected  all  the  jewelry  in  a  good-sized  pile,  tied 
it  up  in  a  handkerchief,  and  burst  into  tears  as  she  saw  me 
about  to  depart  with  it __   m 

VIII.  Again   the   curtains  at   each   side  of  the   door  swayed 
back  as  a  tall  gentleman  entered,  with  a  lady  on  each  arm...   136 

IX.  They   went   to   the  back   door   and    glanced  out   at    the 
storm _ 165 

X.  Sloan  then  lifted  Alice  in  his  arms,  carried  her  down  to  the 
sleigh,  and  quickly  covered  her  up  completely  with  blankets 
and  buffalo  robes _ 184 

XI.  Shortly  after  five  o'clock,  four  men  came  down  from  the 
gambling  rooms  which,  I  knew,  were  up-stairs.     I  immedi 
ately  picked  out  one  of  them  as  Blake 204 


ILL  US TRA  TIONS.  10 

XII.  "  Hand  me  the  knife,5'  I  said,  firmly,  "  or  I  will  spatter 

the  room  with  your  brains." 213 

XIII.  While  I  was  in  the  act  of  speaking,  Blake  swung  him 
self  quickly  around,  facing  me,  and  struck  me  a  tremen 
dous  blow  between  the  eyes. 215 

XIV.  Poor  Mary !     Only  a  few  days  before,  she  had  been  so 
full  of  life,  so  beautiful  —  now  she  was  a  corpse 225 

XV.  Imbert  conducted  her  to  a  secluded  part  of  the  grounds, 
where,  taking  her  in  his  arms,  he  poured  out  his  tale  of 
love,  and  begged  her  to  fly  with  him.. _ 240 

XVI.  The  Belmont  Bill  of  Exchange 253 

XVII.  The  R.  K.  Swift,  Johnston  &  Co.  Bill  of  Exchange 257 

XVIII.  "  You  shall  pay  dear  for  this,"  said  Imbert,  excitedly. 
"I  will  show  you  that  a  gentleman  cannot  be  insulted  with 
impunity." _   265 

XIX.  The  altered  Belmont  Bill  of  Exchange.. _  268 

XX.  The   steamer   was   an  American   craft,  and  she  had  just 
pushed  off  from  Canadian  soil  j  hence,  she  was  not  amena 
ble  to  Canadian  laws,  and  the  disappointed  party  of  ama 
teur  detectives  were  forced  to  jump  ashore  in  great  haste..  269 

XXI.  The  altered  R.  K.  Swift,  Johnston  &  Co.   Bill  of  Ex 
change _  . 271 

XXII.  As  he  did  so,  he  noticed  the  handcuffs  hanging  to  his 
wrist.     .     .     .     Ah  !  what  a  source  of  sorrow  that  vacant 
cuff  had  been  to  him!..  -   280 


CONTENTS. 


CLAUDE  MELNOTTE  AS  A  DETECTIVE 9 

L'ENVOI  ;    SEQUEL _ 120 

THE  Two  SISTERS;  OR,  THE  AVENGER 145 

THE  FRENCHMAN  AND  THE  BILLS  OF  EXCHANGE 231 


CLAUDE  MELNOTTE 

AS  A 


CHAPTER    I. 

I  ATE  one  evening  in  the  fall  of  1854,  I  was  seated 
— '  in  my  private  office  in  Chicago,  smoking  a  cigar, 
preparatory  to  going  home  for  the  night.  The  delightful 
Indian  summer  had  just  given  way  to  the  cold  winds 
of  November,  which  moaned  and  whistled  around  the 
building,  mournfully  heralding  the  near  approach  of  icy- 
handed  winter.  I  had  turned  down  the  gas  and  seated 
myself  in  a  comfortable  easy-chair  before  a  bright  coal 
fire,  which  lit  up  the  room  with  a  soft,  mellow  light.  The 
surroundings  were  well  adapted  for  the  repose  of  mind 
and  body,  and  I  mechanically  puffed  away  at  my  cigar, 
while  enjoying  a  well-earned  rest  after  a  day  of  exciting 
work.  As  I  was  revolving  in  my  mind  the  events  of  the 
day  and  laying  plans  for  the  morrow,  I  was  disturbed  in 
my  revery  by  the  entrance  of  Mr.  Stuart,  one  of  my 
clerks,  who  said  that  there  were  three  gentlemen  in  the 
main  office  desirous  of  seeing  me.  I  was  somewhat 
annoyed  at  the  interruption,  being  anxious  to  go  home 
soon,  but  as  my  motto  has  always  been,  "Business  before 


10  PINKER  TON '  S  DE  TE  CTI VE  S  TORIES. 

pleasure,"  I  said  that  I  would  see  the  visitors,  and  a 
moment  later  three  fashionably  dressed  young  gentlemen 
walked  in.  They  introduced  themselves  as  Messrs.  Wil 
liams,  Henry,  and  Robinson,  and  stated  that  they  had 
been  appointed  members  of  a  committee  to  secure  my 
services  in  detecting  the  perpetrator  of  a  series  of  rob 
beries  in  their  hotel. 

•'  What  ho:el  do: you  refer  to,  Mr.  Robinson?"  I  asked. 

'•  The  Clifton  House,  on  Wabash  avenue,''  he  replied. 

1  knew  it  W,el),',  as'; it  is  always  my  habit  to  keep 
thoroughly  posted  in  regard  to  the  city  hotels.  The 
Clifton  House  was  the  most  fashionable  hotel  in  Chicago 
at  that  time,  and  numbered  among  its  guests  many  of  the 
best  people  in  the  city.  It  was  mainly  a  family  hotel, 
and  had  gained  so  high  a  reputation  by  the  superior 
manner  in  which  it  was  conducted  that  many  merchants 
and  professional  men  had  settled  themselves  with  their 
families  as  permanent  occupants  of  suites  of  rooms  therein. 
Among  its  other  attractions  was  the  sociability  with 
which  all  the  permanent  boarders  mingled  together, 
forming  a  very  large  and  agreeable  coterie  of  mutual 
acquaintances.  There  were  many  young,  unmarried  men 
of  wealth  and  high  social  position,  who  made  the  house 
their  headquarters  and  contributed  largely  to  the  gaiety 
of  the  winter  season,  so  that  the  Clifton  House  hops  were 
always  attended  by  the  haut  ton  of  the  city.  These 
advantages  rendered  a  residence  in  the  Clifton  House  so 
desirable  as  to  make  it  a  centre  of  the  wealth  and  fashion 
of  Chicago.  The  idea  that  a  vulgar  thief  could  have 
entered  this  elysium  of  fashionable  bliss  seemed  too  pre 
posterous  to  be  believed. 


CLA  UDE  MELNO TTE  AS  A  DETEC TI VE.          1 1 

I  asked  Mr.  Robinson  why  they  had  not  reported  their 
losses  to  the  landlord  and  required  him  to  make  an 
investigation. 

This,  they  said,  they  had  already  done,  and  the  land 
lord  had  exhausted  every  plan  in  his  power  in  the 
attempt  to  ferret  out  the  thief,  but  with  no  success  what 
ever.  He  had  called  in  the  city  detectives,  but  they  had 
been  completely  baffled,  and,  in  spite  of  all  precautions, 
the  losses  still  continued.  In  this  dilemma  the  boarders 
had  held  a  meeting,  at  which  the  ladies  were  largely  rep 
resented,  and  had  appointed  this  committee  to  wait  upon 
me  to  engage  my  services,  if  possible,  to  detect  the 
criminal.  The  landlord  was  sorely  troubled  and  was 
continually  discharging  servants,  but  this  had  no  effect, 
as  someone  was  sure  to  be  robbed  as  often,  on  an 
average,  as  once  a  week.  The  stealing  had  been  going 
on  for  over  ten  months,  and  many  of  the  boarders  had 
determined  to  leave  the  house  unless  the  thief  should  be 
caught  very  soon. 

The  ladies  suffered  equally  with  the  gentlemen,  hence 
it  was  impossible  to  determine  the  sex  of  the  thief.  Not 
only  were  valuables  of  all  kinds  taken,  but  also  dresses, 
gloves,  skirts,  coats,  pantaloons,  and  even  the  undergar 
ments  of  both  sexes.  Evidently  the  thief  was  able  to 
dispose  of  the  plunder,  since  no  one  individual  could 
possibly  make  any  personal  use  of  the  great  variety  of 
articles  stolen. 

A  Mrs.  Judson  had  lost  a  valuable  gold  watch  and 
twenty-five  dollars  in  cash.  The  pecuniary  loss,  to  a  lady 
of  her  wealth,  was  trifling,  but  the  watch  was  a  wedding 


12  PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

present  from  her  husband,  and  she  valued  it  far  above 
its  intrinsic  worth. 

From  a  Mr.  Seymour's  room  about  forty  dollars  in  cash 
and  a  number  of  new  shirts  had  been  taken.  He  had 
left  the  money  at  the  bottom  of  one  of  his  bureau  drawers, 
securely  locked,  but  the  thief  had  evidently  known  just 
where  to  look  for  it,  and,  after  leisurely  taking  out  all  the 
things  in  the  drawer,  had  selected  such  as  he  (or  she) 
wished,  and  had  then  carefully  replaced  the  remaining 
articles  just  as  they  had  been  left  by  Mr.  Seymour  in  the 
morning. 

Mr.  Robinson,  also,  had  lost  a  revolver,  a  number  of 
handkerchiefs,  and  some  money. 

The  thief  was,  undoubtedly,  a  cool  hand,  able  to  dis 
criminate  carefully  as  to  the  value  of  personal  property, 
and  to  work  in  a  leisurely,  systematic  way. 

Mr.  Robinson  stated  that  there  was  hardly  anyone  in  the 
house  who  had  not  suffered,  and  that  none  of  the  board 
ers  felt  safe  in  leaving  their  rooms  for  an  hour  unoccupied. 
He  said  that  some  of  his  friends  in  New  York,  for  whom 
I  had  then  recently  done  some  work,  had  spoken  so 
highly  of  me  that  he  was  most  desirous  of  securing  my 
services,  and  he  concluded  by  begging  me  to  undertake 
the  solution  of  the  mystery. 

This  affair  was  one  of  those  with  which  I  have  never 
liked  to  meddle.  If  the  landlord  had  come  to  me,  it  would 
have  been  different ;  but,  as  it  was,  it  was  not  satisfactory 
to  me,  and  I  tried  to  induce  the  committee  to  go  elsewhere. 

Mr.  Robinson  was  not  willing  to  do  so,  and,  after  much 
persuasion,  I  consented  —  not  being  busy  otherwise  —  to 
examine  into  the  case  and  see  what  I  could  do.  The  first 


CLAUDE  MELNOTTE  AS  A  DETECTIVE.          13 

condition  that  I  made,  however,  was  that  the  committee 
should  report  to  the  meeting  of  boarders  that  I  had  refused 
positively  to  undertake  the  investigation.  1  further 
asked  them  to  give  me  a  list  of  the  boarders  in  the  house, 
made  out  so  as  to  show  the  names  of  those  who  had  been 
robbed,  with  the  numbers  of  their  rooms,  and  a  descrip 
tion  of  the  articles  stolen  from  each. 

The  committee  at  once  drew  up  a  rough  list  from 
memory,  and,  on  footing  up  the  losses,  we  found  that  they 
amounted  to  between  four  and  five  thousand  dollars  in 
value.  I  told  Mr.  Robinson  to  call  again  in  a  day  or  two, 
and  the  committee  then  returned  to  the  hotel  to  inform 
the  other  boarders  of  their  failure  to  engage  me. 

On  reflection,  I  determined  that  nothing  could  be  done 
until  I  had  made  a  thorough  inspection  of  the  house,  and 
the  next  morning  I  paid  a  visit  to  the  Clifton  House  for 
that  purpose. 

At  that  time  very  few  people  knew  me  personally,  and 
I  was  able  to  go  all  over  the  house  without  anyone 
imagining  that  I  was  a  detective.  I  took  particular 
notice  of  the  servants,  being  careful  to  see  them  all,  but 
could  not  find  among  them  a  single  suspicious  character. 
Most  of  them  were  Irish,  and,  though  not  by  any  means 
faultless,  there  was  no  probability  that  any  of  them  pos 
sessed  the  audacity  and  skill  to  operate  so  successfully, 
even  had  they  had  the  wish  to  do  so. 

I  returned  to  my  office,  a  few  blocks  distant,  fully  con 
vinced  that  the  case  would  be  a  difficult  one.  I  had  not 
found  the  slightest  clue  which  could  give  a  direction  to 
my  suspicions,  so  that  when  Mr.  Robinson  and  the  other 


14  PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

members  of  the  committee  called,  I  could  give  them  no 
encouraging  news. 

I  asked  them  a  number  of  questions  about  the  vari 
ous  persons  whom  I  had  seen  about  the  house,  and 
they  confirmed  my  good  opinion  of  the  help.  I  then  told 
them  that  the  mystery  surrounding  the  affair  made  it 
interesting  to  me,  and  that  I  would  consent  to  take  it 
up,  provided  that  my  connection  with  it  was  kept  a  secret. 
I  might,  perhaps,  succeed  in  getting  on  the  right  track 
soon,  if  the  thief  were  not  put  on  his  guard  against  me ; 
but  there  was  no  doubt  that  the  difficulties  of  the  case 
would  be  greatly  increased  if  it  should  be  generally  known 
that  I  was  engaged  in  working  it  up.  The  thief  was, 
undoubtedly,  a  very  skillful  one,  and  would  take  unusual 
pains  to  avoid  detection,  the  moment  that  it  became 
known  that  a  skilled  detective  had  been  employed. 

The  committee  agreed  to  my  conditions  and  left  my 
office  much  pleased  at  having  obtained  my  services. 

Here  I  will  say  a  few  words  relative  to  the  professional 
detective. 

One  reason  why  the  official  detective  is  so  often  unsuc 
cessful  in  capturing  criminals  is  that  he  is  so  well-known. 
Even  the  small  boys  in  the  street,  who  regard  him  as  a 
person  endowed  with  supernatural  powers,  recognize  him 
as  he  passes,  and  say  :  "  There  goes  the  detective  !"  All 
the  bar-keepers  know  him,  and  have  an  extra  "smile  "  for 
him  —  gratis.  In  like  manner  he  is  "dead-headed"  at 
the  hotels,  theatres,  restaurants  and  elsewhere,  until  he 
becomes,  not  only  one  of  the  best-known  men  in  town, 
but  also,  one  of  the  greatest  "sponges  "  in  the  community. 
He  dresses  well,  though  a  little  loud,  perhaps,  hob-nobs 


CLA  UDE  MELNO TTE  AS  A  DETECTIVE.          15 

with  professional  gamblers,  and  is  often  "  hail-fellow,  well 
met,"  with  the  thieves  themselves.  He  is  most  likely 
their  boon  companion,  and  gets  his  regular  percentage  of 
the  very  "  swag  "  which  he  is  hired  to  discover.  If  the 
losers  are  willing  to  pay  more  than  the  thieves  can  sell 
their  plunder  for  elsewhere,  the  detective  receives  the 
money  and  returns  the  goods.  In  any  event  he  gets  his 
share.  This  whole  class  of  detectives  are  ready  to  sell 
out  or  are  already  sold.  This  may  be  considered  strong 
language,  but  it  is  the  truth. 

In  my  employ  every  person  is  watched.  I  hire  them 
all  on  the  supposition  that  they  are  honest,  but  it  does  no 
harm  to  see  that  they  are  not  unduly  exposed  to  tempta 
tion  ;  so  they  are  carefully  watched,  and  rarely  do  they 
ever  have  an  opportunity  to  be  dishonest,  even  were  they 
so  inclined. 


CHAPTER    II. 

I    PUZZLED  my  brain  for  some  time  before  I  could 
arrange  a  plan  of  operation  to  suit  me.     I  sat  and 
meditated  somewhat  as  follows  : 

"  The  amount  stolen  so  far  is  large  and  is  constantly 
increasing.  What  is  the  thief  doing  with  the  money  ?  Is 
it  hoarded  for  future  use,  or  is  it  immediately  squandered 
in  fast  living  ?  It  can't  be  a  servant.  No  servant  could 
successfully  carry  out  such  a  series  of  robberies ;  more 
over,  all  the  servants  have  been  changed  twice  or  thrice 
since  the  thefts  began.  No;  I'm  satisfied  that  it's  not  a 
servant.  How  would  it  do  to  call  on  the  landlord  and  the 
clerks,  and  question  them  about  the  boarders  in  the  house? 
No;  that  won't  do.  Mr.  Robinson  said  that  they  were 
fully  acquainted  with  all  the  facts,  and  had  been  com 
pletely  baffled  in  their  efforts  to  discover  the  guilty  party. 
Besides,  how  do  I  know  that  the  clerks,  themselves,  are 
not  implicated?  They  have  a  better  knowledge  of  the 
house  and  the  movements  of  the  boarders  than  anyone 
else,  so  that  if  one  of  them  were  dishonest,  his  opportuni 
ties  for  stealing  would  be  very  great.  Another  robbery 
will  take  place  soon,  hence  I  must  act  promptly.  Let  me 
see  what  I  can  do.  There  are  a  number  of  young  men  in 
the  house  —  what  if  I  should  put  an  intelligent  detective 
in  the  house  as  a  boarder!  That's  a  good  idea.  I'll  do 
it.  Now,  whom  shall  I  use  ?  It  will  be  a  delicate  job, 


CLA  UDE  MELNO TTE  AS  A  DETECTI VE.          17 

and  I  must  have  someone  who  can  ingratiate  himself 
with  both  men  and  women,  since,  for  aught  I  know  to  the 
contrary,  the  culprit  may  be  one  of  the  fair  sex." 

I  had  in  my  employ,  at  that  time,  a  young  man  named 
Streble,  whom  I  felt  inclined  to  entrust  with  this  mission. 
He  was  Bavarian  by  birth,  but  had  turned  his  back  on  the 
fatherland  when  quite  young,  to  seek  his  fortune  in  the 
Far  West.  Like  most  Germans  of  the  middle  class,  he  was 
well  educated,  and  possessed  many  accomplishments.  He 
was  a  good  musician,  and  had  a  rich  baritone  voice.  He 
spoke  both  French  and  English,  besides  his  native  tongue, 
his  foreign  accent  and  grammatical  errors  being  just  suf 
ficient  to  make  him  interesting.  He  had  served  as  janitor 
in  my  building  for  nine  or  ten  months,  and  I  had  found 
him  so  attentive  to  his  duties  that  I  had  promoted  him,  in 
accordance  with  a  rule  which  I  have  always  observed,  to 
watch  all  my  employes  and  advance  them  as  soon  as  they 
show  themselves  worthy.  At  first  I  had  made  "him  a 
"shadow,"  technically,  not  literally,  and  had  used  him 
amongst  the  Germans  and  Israelites  whenever  my  services 
had  been  required  to  detect  criminals  among  those  nation 
alities.  He  had  proved  to  be  so  serviceable  that  I  had  a 
very  good  opinion  of  his  ability,  discretion  and  zeal,  and 
I  therefore  decided  to  employ  him  in  this  case. 

Another  brilliant  idea  struck  me  in  this  connection. 
The  Clifton  House  would  admit  none  but  the  wealthy  and 
aristocratic  to  its  charmed  circles.  At  least,  without 
wealth  and  position  no  boarder  would  be  acceptable  to 
the  regular  inmates  of  the  house,  nor  could  he  expect  to 
gain  their  confidence  and  intimacy.  Hence,  I  determined 


18  PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

to  introduce  my  detective  in  such  a  manner  as  to  make 
him  the  admired  of  all  admirers. 

If  Bulwer  could  turn  a  peasant  into  a  prince,  with  the 
ability  to  impose  upon  the  inhabitants  of  Lyons,  who 
ought  to  have  had  some  experience  in  the  ways  of  roy 
alty,  why  could  not  I  pass  my  ex-janitor  off  for  a  prince, 
and  make  a  second  Claude  Melnotte  out  of  Mr.  Streble  ? 
To  be  sure,  I  knew  very  little  about  the  nobility  of  any 
country,  but  I  was  convinced  that  the  so-called  aristocracy 
of  Chicago  knew  less.  Some  of  the  latter,  with  whom  I 
was  acquainted,  railed  most  independently  at  the  crowned 
heads  of  Europe,  but  I  felt  confident  that  they  would  prove 
to  be  the  worst  of  toadies  if  they  only  could  have  a 
chance.  Therefore,  it  occurred  to  me  to  give  them  an 
opportunity  to  worship  at  the  shrine  of  an  offshoot  of 
royalty,  if  they  felt  so  disposed,  and  this  was  my  brilliant 
idea.  I  would  give  them  a  ready-made  prince  as  an 
object  for  adoration.  Thus,  while  giving  them  an  oppor 
tunity  to  show  the  firmness  of  their  republican  principles, 
I  should  also  do  a  neat  stroke  of  business  in  catching  the 
Clifton  House  thief. 


CHAPTER    III. 

HAVING  made  up  my  mind  to  introduce  Streble  as 
a  prince,  I  was  under  the  necessity  of  deciding, 
also,  whom  he  should  represent.  I  had  read  somewhere 
about  Prince  Beauharnais,  of  Bavaria,  and  although  I  was 
entirely  unacquainted  with  the  history  of  his  Highness,  or 
whether  he  was  then  in  existence,  I  was  so  sure  that  the 
Cliftonians  would  be  equally  ignorant,  that  I  seized  upon 
the  name  without  any  scruples  whatever,  and  built  upon 
it  the  following  story  for  my  detective : 

He  was  to  represent  himself  to  be  the  son  of  Prince 
Beauharnais,  of  Bavaria.  The  Prince,  himself,  was  then 
in  the  Crimea,  having  volunteered  his  services  to  aid  the 
Allies  against  Russia.  The  French  Government  had 
gladly  accepted  his  offer,  and  had  assigned  him  to  an  im 
portant  command.  He  desired  that  his  son  should  enter 
the  diplomatic  service,  and  that  he  should  be  well 
acquainted  with  the  customs  of  all  countries.  To  that 
end,  the  young  Prince  had  been  sent  to  travel,  and  he  had 
heard  so  much  of  this  wonderful  Far  West  that  he  had 
come  almost  direct  to  Chicago,  after  having  visited  the 
great  capitals  of  Europe.  The  intention  was  that  he 
should  settle  down  quietly  to  observe  the  home-life  and 
internal  workings  of  each  nation;  and  as  our  country  was 
so  large,  he  was  to  give  out  that  he  intended  spending 
several  months  in  each  of  the  representative  cities  of  the 
Union. 


20  PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

As  he  was  to  assume  the  character  of  a  second  Claude 
Melnotte,  it  might  be  his  fate  to  encounter  a  Pauline,  so  I 
determined  to  instruct  him  not  to  go  too  far  in  his  love- 
making.  My  idea  was  to  carry  out  the  comic  side  of 
Claude  Melnotte's  character  in  such  a  manner  as  to  trace 
up  the  Clifton-House  thief,  without  in  the  least  endanger 
ing  the  happiness  of  any  young  lady  to  whom  the  Prince 
might  devote  himself 

I  reasoned  that  the  young  ladies  would  be  drawn  to  him 
much  more  by  the  desire  for  wealth  and  position  than 
from  any  real  feeling  of  the  heart,  hence  losing  him  would 
not  permanently  affect  their  happiness.  Their  only  seri 
ous  regrets  would  be  for  the  time  lost  in  the  vain  endeavor 
to  capture  a  real  prince ;  but  their  disappointment  would 
soon  be  forgotten. 

Having  arranged  the  plan,  I  immediately  sent  for 
Streble,  and  told  him  that  he  must  prepare  to  enact  the 
part  of  the  son  of  Prince  Beauharnais,  of  Bavaria.  I  had 
to  laugh  at  the  look  of  amazement  that  came  into  his  face. 

"  What !  I  take  the  part  of  a  prince  !  "  said  he.  "  Why, 
it  would  be  impossible  for  me  to  sustain  the  character." 

"  Fear  nothing,  Streble,"  I  said.  "  I  will  keep  you  posted, 
as  I  do  not  intend  to  send  you  out  of  Chicago." 

He  shook  his  head  and  said,  laughingly : 

"  Indeed,  it  will  be  impossible  for  me  to  succeed  here. 
I  shall  certainly  be  discovered,  as  so  many  people  know 
me." 

"I  will  risk  that,"  I  replied.  "  If  anything  goes  wrong, 
I  will  take  the  consequences.  Go  down  to  Brannigan's 
and  get  measured  for  a  full  suit  of  clothes,  and  I  will 
order  a  complete  outfit  for  you,  to-morrow." 


CLAUDE  MELNOTTE  AS  A  DETECTIVE.          21 

The  following  day  I  dropped  into  Brannigan's  and  left 
orders  for  several  suits  for  Streble,  to  be  made  of  the  best 
material  and  in  the  latest  styles.  I  also  ordered  a  large, 
heavy,  military  cloak,  richly  braided,  and  lined  with  blue 
silk.  Continuing  my  walk,  I  made  a  tour  of  all  the  shops 
and  purchased  an  elegant  outfit  for  Streble,  which  included 
every  essential  article,  both  for  use  and  ornament,  which 
a  young  gentleman  of  wealth  and  rank  would  be  apt  to 
possess.  His  jewelry  was  not  such  as  to  produce  the 
effect  of  over-display,  but  it  was  very  valuable,  though  I 
did  not  purchase  this  portion  of  his  equipment.  Messrs. 
J.  &  E.  Edwards,  the  fashionable  jewelers  of  the  city, 
were  among  my  oldest  and  warmest  friends,  and  from 
them  I  borrowed  two  diamond  rings  and  a  diamond  pin, 
all  of  the  stones  being  large  and  perfect.  These,  with  a 
valuable  gold  watch  and  chain,  a  set  of  studs  and  sleeve- 
buttons,  were  all  that  I  considered  desirable  for  my  prince 
to  wear,  and  their  value  was  such  as  to  preclude  the  pos 
sibility  of  anyone  accusing  him  of  wearing  cheap  jewelry. 

In  order  to  give  Streble  an  opportunity  to  disguise 
himself  somewhat,  I  obtained  a  pair  of  large  gold  eye 
glasses,  fitted  with  plain  crystals,  so  as  not  to  interfere 
in  the  slightest  degree  with  his  eyesight.  The  disguise 
afforded  by  spectacles  or  eye-glasses  is  greater  than  might 
be  supposed,  so  that  I  felt  tolerably  sure  that  none  of 
Streble's  acquaintances  would  recognize  him,  even  if  they 
met  him,  which  was  not  likely. 

I  then  looked  around  for  a  trunk  which  would  fill  its 
part  in  the  plot.  Of  course  I  could  get  a  trunk  anywhere, 
but  the  difficulty  was  to  obtain  one  of  foreign  manufac 
ture,  dented  and  soiled  by  foreign  travel  and  an  ocean 


22  PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

voyage.  I  remembered  having  seen  one  in  the  possession 
of  Mr.  Scarborough,  President  of  the  Ohio  Valley  Bank, 
Cincinnati,  which  was  just  suited  to  my  purpose.  The 
trunk  was  a  large  leather  one,  studded  with  brass  nails, 
and  covered  with  the  marks  of  foreign  railways,  steamship 
lines  and  hotels.  I  immediately  wrote  to  ask  Mr.  Scar 
borough  to  lend  me  the  trunk,  saying  that,  at  some  future 
time,  I  would  cause  him  to  laugh  heartily  at  the  use  to 
which  it  had  been  put.  In  a  few  days  I  received  it,  and 
as  the  clothing  and  other  articles  were  finished,  they  were 
soon  packed  ready  for  operations  to  begin. 

Streble  was  a  handsome  fellow,  and  after  having  had  his 
hair  trimmed  and  his  face  shaved,  leaving  only  a  fine 
moustache  and  goatee,  he  was  as  stylish  a  young  man  as 
could  be  found  in  Chicago. 

When  all  was  ready,  I  called  him  into  my  private  office, 
and  gave  him  his  instructions.  After  posting  him  as  to 
the  character  of  the  Clifton  House  and  its  guests,  I  related 
the  particulars  of  the  robberies  which  had  been  committed 
there,  and  the  difficulty  in  detecting  the  thief.  To  him 
would  be  entrusted  this  important  duty; and, while  he  was 
to  be  honored  and  entertained  as  a  prince,  he  was  not  to 
forget  to  keep  his  eyes  open.  Nothing  must  escape  his 
notice,  and  he  must  be  as  wary  and  discreet  as  it  was  pos 
sible  to  be.  Moreover,  no  mere  circumstances  of  wealth 
and  position  should  be  permitted  to  exempt  anyone  from 
his  watchful  care,  and  suspicions  directed  toward  a  mil 
lionaire  were  to  be  reported  as  fully  as  those  which  would 
implicate  the  poorest  in  the  house.  (Indeed,  I  strongly 
suspected  that  the  culprit,  when  found,  would  prove  to  be 


CLA  UDE  MELNO TTE  AS  A  DETECT  1 VE.          23 

one  whose  position   apparently  made   him,  or  her,  above 
suspicion.) 

He  was  not  to  proclaim  himself  to  be  the  son  of  a 
prince,  but  I  would  see  that  the  report  was  started,  and, 
on  being  questioned,  he  was  to  acknowledge  it  to  be  true. 
He  was  to  register  himself  as  Herr  Lindeman,  and  when 
his  real  rank  was  discovered,  the  mystery  surrounding 
him  would  make  him  doubly  attractive.  As  he  became 
well  acquainted  with  the  Clifton  House  boarders,  he  was 
to  throw  off  all  pretense  of  concealment,  and  describe 
the  splendor  of  his  father's  palace,  his  immense  wealth, 
the  gaieties  of  court  life,  etc.  He  was  to  be  liberal  to  the 
gentlemen,  and  especially  polite  and  attentive  to  the  fair 
sex. 

I  arranged  that  he  should  go  to  Niles,  Michigan,  by  the 
Michigan  Central  Railroad.  Thence  he  was  to  go  to 
South  Bend,  Indiana,  by  carriage,  there  assume  his  princely 
character,  and  return  to  Chicago  by  the  Michigan  South 
ern  Railroad.  He  was  then  to  go  to  the  Briggs  House  for 
the  night.  In  the  morning  he  was  to  inquire  of  the  pro 
prietor,  Mr.  French,  where  the  banking  house  of  R.  K. 
Swift  &  Co.  was  situated.  Mr.  French,  with  his  custom 
ary  politeness,  would  probably  accompany  Herr  Lindeman 
to  the  bank,  where  the  latter  was  to  present  letters  of 
credit  to  an  immense  amount,  endorsed  by  Prince  Beau- 
harnais,  payable  to  his  son.  I  had  let  my  friend  Swift 
into  the  secret,  and  he  had  arranged  this  part  of  the  affair 
so  as  completely  to  convince  anyone  of  the  Prince's  iden 
tity  and  wealth.  Herr  Lindeman  was  then  to  remain  at 
the  Briggs  House  until  a  report  of  his  rank  and  fortune 


24  PINKER  TON '  S  DETECTIVE  S  TORIES. 

had  been  well  circulated,  after  which,  he  would  have  no 
difficulty  in  obtaining  rooms  in  the  Clifton  House. 

I  impressed  upon  Streble  many  instructions  as  to  his 
deportment  and  vigilance,  and  ordered  him  to  report  to 
me  daily,  whenever  it  was  possible  to  do  so.  The  trunk 
and  Streble  then  departed  to  take  the  night  train  for  Niles, 
and  my  plan  was,  at  last,  in  operation. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

ON  the  following  day,  being  anxious  to  see  how 
my  newly-made  prince  would  conduct  himself,  I 
entered  the  Briggs  House  shortly  before  the  hour  when  he 
should  arrive,  and  remained  in  the  office,  talking  to  Mr. 
French.  A  violent  snow-storm  had  set  in,  and  we  stood 
near  the  stove  watching  the  heavy  snow-flakes  as  they 
rapidly  descended.  Presently  a  carriage  dashed  up,  from 
which  a  traveler  alighted  and  hurried  into  the  hotel.  I 
knew  who  it  was  before  I  saw  him,  having  recognized  his 
trunk. 

As  the  gentleman  walked  leisurely  to  the  desk  to  regis 
ter  his  name,  we  saw  a  very  distinguished-looking  person. 
He  wore  a  fine  sealskin  cap  and  a  large  military  cloak, 
the  latter  being  wrapped  gracefully  around  his  tall  and 
commanding  figure.  Mr.  French,  who,  like  all  hotel- 
keepers,  prided  himself  on  his  ability  to  read  character, 
glanced  at  the  new-comer,  and  said  : 

"  That  young  man  is  a  gentleman  of  rank.  I  have  never 
seen  him  before,  but  he  has  a  thorough-bred  look,  such 
as  you  see  only  in  those  who  have  been  accustomed  to 
command.  There  is  an  indescribable  something  about 
the  nobility  by  which  I  always  know  them.  Excuse  me, 
Pinkerton,  I  will  attend  to  him  myself." 

So  saying,  Mr.  French  hurried  over  to  the  desk,  where 
he  found  that  his  new  arrival  had  registered  his  name  as 
Herr  Lindeman.  He  was  assigned  to  the  finest  suite  of 


26  PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

rooms  in  the  house,  and  everything  was  done  that  could 
add  to  his  comfort.  Mr.  French,  himself,  showed  the 
distinguished  stranger  to  the  rooms  prepared  for  him,  and 
a  special  servant  was  assigned  to  his  service.  In  about 
half  an  hour  Mr.  French  returned,  and  said  to  me  : 

"  I  was  right  about  that  gentleman,  Pinkerton.  He  is 
the  son  of  a  Bavarian  prince,  and  is  traveling  incog,  in 
order  to  study  our  customs  and  manners  quietly.  He 
would  not  have  let  me  into  the  secret,  but  for  the  fact  that 
he  has  some  large  letters  of  credit  from  his  father,  drawn 
upon  R.  K.  Swift  &  Co.,  and  he  wants  me  to  go  to  the 
bank  with  him  in  the  morning.  Don't  mention  it  to  any 
one,  as  he  charged  me  to  keep  his  rank  a  secret." 

I  assured  him  that  the  secret  was  safe  with  me,  and 
told  him  to  warn  the  Prince  to  be  careful  about  his  pocket- 
book,  as  there  were  many  pickpockets  about.  I  then 
returned  to  my  office,  well  pleased  with  my  prince,  and 
fully  convinced  that  he  would  maintain  his  character  with 
out  any  danger  of  being  considered  an  impostor. 

The  following  morning  Herr  Lindeman  went  to  Swift's 
bank,  accompanied  by  Mr.  French.  I  was  in  the  bank 
when  they  arrived,  and  was  greatly  amused  at  the  perfect 
gravity  with  which  Mr.  Swift  and  the  Prince  played  their 
respective  parts  for  the  benefit  of  Mr.  French. 

Mr.  Swift  received  the  Prince  with  great  consideration, 
as  previous  advices  from  his  foreign  correspondents  had 
informed  him  of  the  Prince's  intended  visit.  The  letters 
of  credit  were  at  once  accepted,  and  a  heavy  sum  placed 
subject  to  the  Prince's  order,  which  he  could  draw  upon 
at  his  convenience. 

Business  matters  having  been  settled,  the  conversation 


CLAUDE  MELNOTTE  AS  A  DETECTIVE.          27 

turned  upon  the  Prince's  travels,  and  he  told  Mr.  Swift 
that,  in  order  to  ensure  quietness,  he  was  traveling  under 
the  name  of  Herr  Lindeman.  He  asked,  as  a  favor,  that 
Mr.  Swift  would  not  acquaint  anyone  with  his  real  rank. 

Messrs.  Swift  &  Co.  asked  after  the  health  of  Prince 
Beauharnais  (the  elder),  and  said  that  they  would  like  to 
get  him  to  invest  some  of  his  great  wealth  in  Chicago.  If 
he  would  place  in  their  hands  the  small  sum  of  half  a 
million  dollars,  they  could  double  it  in  a  short  time. 

The  Prince  showed  profound  ignorance  of  business 
matters,  and  soon  turned  the  conversation  to  the  war  in 
the  Crimea,  where  he  had  recently  been  on  a  visit  to  his 
father.  He  gave  some  vivid  descriptions  of  one  or  two 
battles  which  he  had  witnessed,  and  chatted  very  pleas 
antly  for  some  time. 

He  then  returned  to  the  Briggs  House  with  the  delighted 
Mr.  French,  who  was  more  than  ever  impressed  with  his 
guest's  importance.  After  lunch,  the  Prince  spent  over 
an  hour  in  writing  to  his  father,  giving  him  a  glowing 
description  of  the  wonders  of  the  New  World,  and  advis 
ing  him  to  pay  it  a  visit.  (At  least,  this  was  what  he  told 
Mr.  French  he  had  written.) 

He  then  inquired  the  way  to  the  post-office,  and  Mr. 
French  offered  to  send  a  boy  with  the  letter,  but  the 
Prince  said  that  he  needed  a  little  exercise,  and  would 
post  it  himself.  He  then  walked  around  the  streets  for 
some  time,  and  finally  dropped  into  my  office  to  report. 
I  congratulated  him  warmly  on  the  manner  in  which  he 
had  acted,  and  he  returned  to  the  hotel  in  high  spirits. 

Mr.  French  kept  the  secret  as  most  people  keep  secrets. 
He  told  a  few  of  his  particular  friends  that  he  had  a 


28  PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

genuine  prince  stopping  at  his  hotel,  but  that  they  must 
keep  it  a  secret.  They  naturally  spread  the  news  among 
their  intimate  friends,  and  before  night  a  large  number  of 
gentlemen  were  well  acquainted  with  all  the  circumstances 
of  the  case.  It  was  not  surprising,  therefore,  that  an  even 
ing  paper  should  have  made  the  following  announcement : 
"  Chicago  is  honored  with  the  presence  of  a  Bavarian 
prince,  who,  with  a  most  commendable  modesty,  is  travel 
ing  as  Herr  Lindeman.  He  will  be  surprised-to  read  this 
notice,  but  he  must  remember  that  it  is  impossible  to  keep 
any  news  concealed  from  Chicago  reporters." 

The  Prince  remained  at  the  Briggs  House  four  days, 
going  out  very  seldom,  as  the  snow  had  begun  to  melt, 
leaving  the  streets  in  a  disagreeable  condition  for  either 
driving  or  walking.  He  was  a  connoisseur  in  cigars,  and 
smoked  incessantly,  besides  opening  his  cigar-case  to 
every  gentleman  to  whom  he  was  introduced.  I  cautioned 
him  against  this  habit,  telling  him  that  so  much  smoking 
was  bad  for  his  health ;  but  he  had  now  got  an  opportu 
nity  to  smoke  at  my  expense,  and  smoke  he  would.  In 
point  of  fact,  it  was  the  expense  that  I  objected  to,  as  he 
began  to  draw  rather  heavily  upon  my  purse-strings. 

On  the  morning  of  the  fourth  day,  while  in  conversation 
with  Mr.  Barnum,  the  gentlemanly  clerk  of  the  hotel,  the 
Prince  asked  if  there  were  any  private  hotels  in  Chicago, 
similar  to  those  in  Bavaria,  where  a  person  would  be 
removed  from  the  hurry  and  noise  of  a  transient  house. 
He  would  like  to  find  the  quiet  of  a  home  hotel,  where 
he  could  enjoy  the  refining  influences  of  ladies'  society. 

Mr.  Barnum  said  that  there  were  several  such  hotels  in 
Chicago,  the  Clifton  House  being  considered  the  best,  as 


CLAUDE  MELNOTTE  AS  A  DETECTIVE.          29 

it  was  patronized  by  the  best  society  of  the  city.  He  then 
offered  to  take  the  Prince  there  and  show  him  through 
the  house,  if  he  so  desired. 

The  Prince  accepted  the  offer,  and  together  they 
wended  their  way  to  the  Clifton  House.  Mr.  Barnum 
felt  quite  proud  as  he  stepped  out  with  the  Prince ;  but 
when  the  latter  offered  him  a  fragrant  Havana,  imported 
for  the  Prince's  own  use,  the  delighted  clerk  was  quite 
overcome.  As  he  carefully  puffed  away,  with  a  look  of 
ecstasy  in  his  face,  he  declared  that  he  had  never  before 
smoked  such  a  fine  cigar.  These  cigars,  which  the  Prince 
stated  were  selected  carefully  in  Havana  and  imported 
solely  for  his  use,  were  pronounced  by  all  who  smoked 
them  to  be  superior  to  any  cigar  in  the  market.  The 
actual  fact,  however,  regarding  the  cigars  was  that  I  had 
bought  them  of  Frankenthal,  under  the  Sherman  House. 

After  a  pleasant  walk,  Mr.  Barnum  and  the  Prince 
entered  the  Clifton  House.  The  latter  was  introduced  to 
the  landlord  as  Herr  Lindeman,  but  his  fame  had  gone 
before  him,  and  the  landlord  was  delighted  at  the  pros 
pect  of  having  a  prince  for  a  guest.  The  Prince  examined 
all  the  vacant  apartments  and  finally  decided  to  take  a 
suite  of  rooms  two  flights  up,  on  the  Wabash  avenue  side 
of  the  house.  He  was  influenced  in  making  his  choice 
by  the  fact  that  it  was  the  portion  of  the  house  occupied 
by  the  young,  unmarried  gentlemen,  and  he  would  be  a 
near  neighbor  to  the  members  of  the  committee.  The 
suite,  consisting  of  parlor,  bed-room  and  bath-room,  were 
elegantly  furnished,  and  commanded  a  fine  view  of  the 
avenue.  The  Prince  made  arrangements  to  take  immedi 
ate  possession,  and  then  returned  to  the  Briggs  House 
with  Mr.  Barnum. 


CHAPTER     V. 

IT  was  soon  known  at  the  Clifton  House  that  a  prince 
was  coming  to  stay  there,  and  the  guests  were  quite 
excited  in  consequence.  The  young  ladies  declared 
emphatically  that  they  would  show  him  no  more  consider 
ation  than  was  due  to  any  other  gentleman,  and  that,  as 
he  might  imagine  that  his  rank  entitled  him  to  great 
attention,  they  would  treat  him  with  distant  politeness. 
They  resolved  to  show  this  representative  of  the  Old 
World  despotisms  how  little  the  citizens  of  a  free  republic 
cared  for  rank  and  so-called  aristocracy. 

This  was  about  the  style  in  which  the  belles  of  the 
Clifton  House  talked  ta  each  other,  but  in  fact  each  one 
was  determined  to  make  him  "  the  captive  of  her  bow 
and  spear,"  if  possible.  Of  course,  none  of  them  cared 
for  his  wealth  or  position  —  oh,  no!  but  it  would  be  so 
agreeable  to  be  able  to  say  that  Prince  so-and-so  was 
once  a  devoted  admirer.  Besides,  it  was  worth  while  to 
captivate  him,  just  to  save  him  from  the  arts  and  ma- 
noeuvers  of  certain  designing  girls  in  the  hotel  who  would 
be  sure  to  try  to  entrap  him. 

The  Prince  bade  good-bye  to  Mr.  French  and  his  other 
acquaintances  at  the  Briggs  House,  and  asked  them  to 
call  upon  him  at  the  Clifton.  He  then  sent  his  baggage 
in  advance,  and  shortly  after,  was  driven  to  the  Clifton 
House,  arriving  just  in  time  for  dinner,  which  was  usually 
served  at  six  o'clock. 


CLAUDE  MELNOTTE  AS  A  DETECTIVE.         31 

That  day  was  marked,  not  only  by  the  Prince's  arrival, 
but  also  by  an  unusually  heavy  robbery.  Mrs.  Blackall, 
one  of  the  wealthy  guests,  had  spent  the  day  in  visiting 
her  friends,  but  before  going  out,  she  had  taken  the  pre 
caution  to  hide  about  four  hundred  dollars  in  a  secure 
place  in  her  bureau.  Her  husband,  who  was  in  New  York, 
had  sent  her  the  money  the  day  previous,  and  she  had 
kept  it  in  her  possession,  instead  of  depositing  it  in  bank, 
as  she  had  expected  to  use  it  all  in  a  day  or  two.  Having 
locked  the  bureau  drawer,  and  also  the  door  of  her  room, 
she  had  gone  away  without  any  misgivings.  On  her  return 
in  the  evening,  she  found  her  door  still  locked,  but  on 
lighting  the  gas  and  glancing  at  her  bureau,  she  saw  that 
the  drawer  which  she  had  locked  was  wide  open  and  the 
money  was  missing.  She  immediately  rang  her  bell  vio 
lently,  and  in  a  few  minutes  the  clerks,  servants,  and 
other  boarders  rushed  in  to  learn  what  had  alarmed  her. 
For  a  moment  she  could  not  speak,  but  she  pointed  to 
her  bureau,  and  finally  gasped  out: 

"  Oh  !  this  is  shocking !  Some  one  has  taken  all  my 
money.  I  have  lost  over  three  hundred  dollars  !  What 
shall  I  do?" 

The  committee,  Messrs.  Robinson,  Williams  and  Henry, 
were  sent  for  immediately.  On  entering  the  room  they 
cleared  it  of  the  crowd,  and  strove  to  console  Mrs. 
Blackall,  but,  like  Rachel,  she  refused  to  be  comforted. 
Finally  Mr.  Robinson  was  obliged  to  tell  her  of  the  steps 
they  had  taken  to  discover  the  thief,  and  that  I  had  been 
engaged  to  work  up  the  case.  He  assured  her  that  he 
would  at  once  lay  her  loss  before  me  in  order  to  incite 
me  to  act  promptly,  and  without  doubt,  her  money  would 
be  recovered. 


32  PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

In  a  few  minutes  several  ladies  called  upon  Mrs. 
Blackall  to  condole  with  her,  and  soon  the  room  was 
filled  with  an  excited  and  indignant  crowd  of  ladies. 
The  whole  party  united  in  condemning  the  committee  as 
a  lazy,  supine,  and  incompetent  trio,  who  had  done 
nothing  whatever  to  protect  their  fellow-boarders. 

Mr.  Robinson  could  not  withstand  the  volleys  of  bitter 
sarcasm  which  were  aimed  at  him,  and  therefore,  in  order 
to  quiet  the  ladies,  he  told  them,  first  pledging  them  to 
secrecy,  that  the  committee  had  secured  my  services,  and 
that  I  hoped  soon  to  capture  the  thief.  Having  some 
what  satisfied  them  with  this  information,  Mr.  Robinson 
hurried  to  my  office  and  gave  me  the  particulars  of  the 
last  robbery,  concluding  by  stating  that  he  had  told  the 
ladies  of  my  connection  with  the  case. 

I  felt  much  annoyed  at  this  evidence  of  Mr.  Robinson's 
inability  to  keep  a  secret,  but  I  could  not  help  congratu 
lating  myself  that  I  had  not  entrusted  him  with  the 
details  of  my  plan.  I  saw  clearly  that  if  he  had  known 
the  identity  of  the  supposed  Prince,  he  would  have 
revealed  that  secret  too,  and  my  plan  would  have  been 
useless.  I  therefore  told  him  that  the  man  whom  I 
intended  to  employ  in  the  case  was  very  busily  engaged 
just  then,  but  that  I  would  put  him  at  work  very  soon, 
and  that  the  committee  need  not  fear  the  result.  Mr. 
Robinson  then  took  his  leave,  quite  reassured. 

During  the  evening,  the  Prince  loitered  in  the  office  for 
some  time,  and  the  landlord  introduced  him  to  many  of 
the  guests.  His  easy,  agreeable  manners  at  once  made 
him  popular,  and  he  was  soon  on  good  terms  with  most 
of  the  gentlemen  in  the  house.  While  he  was  smoking 


CLA  UDE  MELNO  TTE  AS  A  DETECT  I VE.         33 

and  chatting  with  a  group  of  the  boarders  in  the  smoking- 
room,  a  young  man  of  polished  manners  and  pleasant 
address,  came  forward  gracefully,  and  introduced  himself 
to  the  Prince  as  Mr.  Edward  Bright.  He  said  the  only 
excuse  he  could  offer  for  his  forwardness  was  that  the 
Prince  had  selected  rooms  immediately  adjoining  his  own, 
and  as  they  were  to  be  near  neighbors,  he  wished  very 
much  to  make  the  Prince's  acquaintance. 

The  Prince  replied  that  he  hated  ceremony,  and  was 
glad  to  meet  a  gentleman  who  had  the  courage  to  ignore 
forms.  He  disliked  the  English  custom  of  holding  aloof 
from  every  one  until  a  regular  introduction  was  obtained. 
He  admired  Mr.  Bright's  frankness,  and  would  be  glad  to 
regard  him  as  a  friend.  He  offered  Mr.  Bright  a  cigar, 
and  together  they  walked  up  and  down  the  smoking- 
room.  In  the  course  of  the  conversation,  Mr.  Bright, 
who  was  well  acquainted  with  the  local  history  of  Chicago, 
gave  the  Prince  much  useful  and  interesting  information 
about  the  growth  of  the  "  Garden  City." 

"  Only  think,"  he  said,  "that  only  twenty  years  ago,  the 
site  whereon  this  wonderful  city  stands  was  a  wilderness. 
To-day  we  see  this  noble  city,  inhabited  by  its  one 
hundred  thousand  souls.  By  enterprise,  industry,  and 
perseverance  has  this  great  change  been  accomplished. 
The  man  is  now  living  who  will  see  this  city  the  metropo 
lis  of  the  West." 

When  they  had  finished  their  cigars,  Mr.  Bright  invited 
the  Prince  into  the  parlor,  where  a  bevy  of  ladies  had 
gathered,  all  anxious  to  see  the  Priace  and  make  his 
acquaintance.  Mr.  Bright  felt  highly  pleased  at  having 
the  opportunity  to  introduce  the  Prince.  He  knew  that 


34  PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

the  ladies  were  dying  to  know  His  Highness,  and  that  his 
boldness  in  bringing  about  the  desired  introductions 
would  be  very  much  appreciated  by  them. 

The  Prince  remained  in  conversation  with  a  group  of 
ladies  for  some  time,  charming  them  all  by  his  agreeable 
conversation  and  well-turned  compliments.  His  trifling 
German  accent  only  rendered  him  more  interesting,  and 
he  was  voted  charming  by  every  lady  present.  He  finally 
went  to  the  piano,  where  a  Miss  Hume  was  playing,  and 
began  talking  of  music. 

"  Have  you  heard  this  song?"  asked  Miss  Hume,  taking 
up  a  new  and  popular  ballad. 

The  Prince  glanced  at  it  a  moment,  hummed  a  line  or 
two  of  the  air,  and  said : 

"No,  I  haf  not;  it  is  a  pleasure  for  the  future." 

"Oh!  you  read  music!"  said  Miss  Hume;  "perhaps 
you  sing  also?" 

"Well  —  a  little,  just  for  myself,  sometimes,"  said  the 
Prince. 

"  I  am  sure  you  sing  well,  Herr  Lindeman,"  said  Bright, 
who  was  standing  near.  "Come,  please  favor  us  with 
some  of  your  magnificent  German  songs.  There  are  no 
songs  like  them." 

The  ladies  all  joined  in  pressing  him  to  sing,  and  finally 
he  consented.  Taking  the  seat  vacated  by  Miss  Hume, 
he  played  a  few  chords  rapidly  to  accustom  his  fingers  to 
the  instrument,  and  then  sang  Schubert's  "  Farewell,"  in  a 
rich  powerful  baritone.  As  he  concluded,  he  was  greeted 
with  great  applause,  and  all  the  complimentary  adjectives 
in  the  dictionary  were  showered  upon  him. 

"You  are  a  splendid  musician,  Herr  Lindeman,"  said 


CLA  UDE  MELNO  TTE  AS  A  DETECT  I VE.          35 

Bright.  "You  must  have  studied  at  some  of  the  great 
schools  of  music  in  Europe." 

"Yes,"  the  Prince  replied,  modestly,  "I  am  passionately 
fond  of  music,  and  have  studied  at  Munich  and  Paris." 

When  the  Prince  left  the  parlor,  it  was  unanimously 
conceded  that  he  was  a  talented  musician.  In  fact,  he 
had  quite  taken  the  ladies  by  storm,  and  they  pronounced 
him  the  most  polished  gentleman  they  had  ever  met. 

Thus  was  the  Prince  introduced  into  the  charmed  circle 
of  the  Clifton  House,  and  his  career  thenceforward  was  a 
continued  ovation. 


CHAPTER     VI. 

~"*HE  following  day  began  with  a  heavy  snow-storm, 
A  but  toward  noon  the  storm  ceased,  and  Mr.  Bright 
invited  the  Prince  to  go  out  with  him.  The  Prince  put 
on  his  cap  and  military  cloak,  and  the  two  gentlemen  took 
quite  a  long  walk.  The  Prince  found  Mr.  Bright  a  most 
agreeable  companion,  and  under  the  latter's  guidance  he 
soon  became  acquainted  with  the  principal  objects  of 
interest  in  the  city.  Indeed,  it  was  astonishing  how  soon 
he  learned  to  find  his  way  about  the  streets. 

They  strolled  about  for  some  time,  admiring  the  pretty 
faces  which  were  whirled  past  them  in  gliding  sleighs,  and 
the  pretty  feet  and  ankles,  the  display  of  which  the  sloppy 
sidewalks  necessitated.  They  finally  stopped  at  the  Tre- 
mont  House  bar,  where  Mr.  Bright  introduced  the  Prince 
to  a  number  of  fancy  American  drinks.  The  Prince 
noticed  that  Mr.  Bright  was  a  heavy  drinker,  and  that  he 
seemed  very  well  provided  with  funds.  No  matter  how 
much  money  the  Prince  spent,  Mr.  Bright  always  met  him 
half-way. 

After  calling  on  Mr.  French  at  the  Briggs  House,  they 
spent  the  time  until  five  o'clock  in  visiting  the  fashionable 
billiard  halls,  in  all  of  which  Mr.  Bright  was  well-known. 
At  five,  they  returned  to  the  Clifton  House,  to  dress  for 
dinner. 

Mr.  Bright  evidently  regarded  the  Prince  as  under  his 

36 


CLA  UDE  MELNO TTE  AS  A  DETECTI VE.         37 

special  chaperonage,  and  therefore  took  a  seat  next  him 
at  dinner.  During  the  progress  of  the  meal  he  gave  the 
Prince  a  rapid  sketch  of  the  various  family  parties  in  the 
vicinity  of  their  seats,  and  greatly  amused  him  by  his  droll 
way  of  condensing  the  descriptions  of  other  people  into  a 
few  words. 

"The  people  sitting  opposite  to  us  are  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Abbott,  their  son  and  daughter.  They  are  a  very  fine 
family  —  a  rare  instance  of  the  combination  of  money 
and  breeding.  Miss  Abbott  is  just  '  coming  out,'  and  will 
be  a  great  belle." 

"  Yes,  she  is  very  beautiful,"  said  the  Prince. 

"  That  party  of  three,  next  to  the  Abbotts,  are  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Barrett  and  their  son.  Barrett  is  a  wealthy  dry- 
goods  merchant,  and  does  everything,  regardless  of  ex 
pense  —  and  taste.  His  daughter  is  in  Europe  at  present, 
'finishing  '  an  education  which  never  was  half  commenced. 
He  talks  of  going  to  Europe  to  bring  his  daughter  home, 
next  summer.  Mr.  Kimball  and  his  sister  are  staring  at 
you  from  the  next  table.  Kimball  is  in  the  boot-and-shoe 
business,  and  is  rapidly  pegging  his  way  into  an  immense 
fortune.  He,  also,  is  going  abroad,  to  hunt  up  his  aristo 
cratic  relatives  in  England.  The  gentleman  near  Miss 
Kimball,  who  looks  as  if  he  had  swallowed  a  poker,  is  the 
distinguished  Irish  advocate,  Miles  Foggerty.  He  thinks 
he  can  make  a  jury  believe  anything,  and  so  he  can  —  if 
he  will  only  argue  against  it." 

In  this  way,  Bright  went  through  the  list  of  boarders, 
with  all  of  whom  he  was  well  acquainted.  He  hit  off  the 
characteristics  of  the  various  persons  very  happily,  and 
was  evidently  a  good  judge  of  human  nature.  He  was  a 


38  PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

thorough  man  of  the  world,  and  was  an  invaluable  aid  to 
the  Prince  in  introducing  him  to  the  other  guests,  after 
dinner. 

In  the  evening  they  passed  an  hour  or  two  very  delight 
fully  in  the  parlor.  Several  of  the  young  ladies  sang  and 
played,  and  the  Prince  was  then  induced  to  sing  a  piece 
of  his  own  composition,  which  was  generally  admired. 
The  authorship  of  the  song  was  brought  out  by  the  per 
sistence  with  which  one  young  lady  called  for  the  name 
of  the  composer.  He  was  followed  by  Mr.  Bright,  who 
was  a  much  superior  musician  to  the  Prince,  both  natu 
rally  and  by  education ;  but  the  latter's  title  covered  all 
defects,  and  the  ladies  mentally  decided  in  his  favor,  in 
comparing  the  two. 

The  next  day  was  bright  and  pleasant,  and  every  one 
was  outdoors  during  the  forenoon.  The  Prince  managed 
to  elude  all  the  other  boarders,  in  order  to  come  to  my 
office  to  report.  In  some  way,  his  story  aroused  a  slight 
suspicion  in  my  mind  with  regard  to  Bright.  I  can 
hardly  say  what  it  was  in  Bright's  conduct  that  caught 
my  attention,  except  perhaps  his  effusive  manner  toward 
the  Prince,  and  the  fact  that  he  seemed  to  have  no  regular 
occupation  nor  business  of  any  kind.  Other  gentlemen 
were  friendly  and  hospitable  toward  the  Prince,  but  Bright 
seemed  desirous  of  taking  him  completely  under  his  own 
charge.  Most  of  the  other  young  men  smoked  and  drank 
occasionally;  but  Bright  seemed  to  be  continually  spend 
ing  a  good  deal  of  money  in  gratifying  his  appetite.  I 
had  an  unaccountable  feeling  that  Bright  was  playing  a 
part,  with  an  object  in  view.  I  kept  my  suspicions  to 
myself,  however,  not  even  mentioning  them  to  the  Prince. 


CLAUDE  MELNOTTE  AS  A  DETECTIVE.         39 

In  the  afternoon  the  Prince  returned  to  the  Clifton 
House  and  entered  the  smoking-room  to  have  a  quiet 
smoke,  but  hearing  music  in  the  parlor,  he  changed  his 
mind  and  walked  in  there.  The  only  occupants  of  the 
room  were  Mrs.  Pearson  and  her  daughter.  Mrs.  Pearson 
was  a  wealthy  widow,  having  no  other  living  relatives  but 
her  daughter.  The  latter  was  a  beautiful  blonde,  with  an 
exquisite  complexion,  regular  features,  rosy  lips,  and  a 
plump,  well-developed  figure. 

Miss  Pearson  was  at  the  piano  when  the  Prince  entered, 
but  she  stopped  playing  immediately,  and  greeted  him 
heartily.  The  Prince  begged  her  to  continue  playing,  and 
took  a  seat  by  her  side. 

Mrs.  Pearson's  motherly  heart  was  filled  with  delight  to 
see  her  daughter  tete-a-tete  with  the  Prince,  and  she  could 
not  repress  the  thought : 

"What  a  handsome  couple  they  would  make !  " 

They  certainly  got  along  together  very  pleasantly. 
Miss  Pearson  had  studied  German  for  some  time,  hence 
the  conversation  was  carried  on  in  that  language.  She 
spoke  the  language  quite  well,  but  if  she  made  a  mistake, 
the  Prince  had  such  a  gentle  way  of  correcting  her  that 
she  felt  quite  at  ease  with  him.  If  she  only  had  him  for  a 
teacher,  she  said,  how  soon  she  would  become  proficient! 

The  subject  of  life  in  Germany  was  introduced,  and 
the  Prince  gave  her  some  very  entertaining  information  as 
to  the  home  life  and  customs  of  the  higher  classes  in  that 
country.  He  also  vividly  described  the  pleasures  of 
Munich,  Berlin  and  Paris,  and  said  that  nothing  would  so 
much  please  him  as  to  be  her  guide  when  she  visited  the 
Old  World. 


40  PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

Miss  Pearson  was  highly  flattered  by  the  Prince's  atten 
tion,  while  her  mother  fairly  worshiped  him.  She  felt 
that  a  tour  under  such  circumstances  would  -be  perfectly 
enchanting,  especially  as  she  concluded  that  the  Prince 
would  not  have  made  such  an  offer  unless  he  had  been  in 
love  with  her  daughter.  The  prospect  of  having  a  prince 
for  a  son-in-law  seemed  quite  near  realization,  and  Mrs. 
Pearson's  joy  thereat  was  great.  In  order  to  cement  the 
acquaintance,  she  invited  the  Prince  to  accompany  them 
on  a  sleigh-ride  next  day,  and  he  accepted  with  great 
pleasure. 

Alas  !  who  would  have  thought  that  Mrs.  Pearson,  only 
a  few  days  previous,  had  been  one  of  the  loudest  in  her 
condemnation  of  "  those  American  girls  who  would  so  fail 
in  their  allegiance  to  the  Great  Republic  as  to  marry  a 
foreigner,  just  for  his  title."  Yet  those  had  been  her 
very  words. 


CHAPTER     VII. 

THE  tete-a-tete  in  the  parlor  was  suddenly  interrupted 
by  a  loud  noise,  followed  by  the  rushing  of  people 
in  the  halls.  The  Prince  hurried  out  with  the  frightened 
ladies  clinging  to  him  for  protection,  and  found  that  Mr. 
Hutchinson's  room  had  been  entered  and  ransacked  by  a 
thief.  They  went  up  to  the  room,  which  they  found  full 
of  excited  boarders,  all  loud  in  their  denunciations  of  the 
servants.  Foremost  among  the  indignant  guests  was 
Bright,  who  informed  the  Prince  that  Mr.  Hutchinson  had 
received  four  hundred  dollars  a  few  days  before,  which 
he  had  intended  to  use  in  a  short  time,  and  hence  had 
not  deposited  it  in  bank.  To  insure  its  safety,  however, 
he  had  secreted  it  under  the  carpet  in  his  room.  He  had 
told  a  few  particular  friends  how  securely  he  had  hidden 
his  money,  but  had  mentioned  it  to  no  one  else.  Yet, 
now,  on  coming  home,  he  had  found  that  a  diamond  pin, 
a  dozen  shirts,  and  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  of  this 
money  had  been  stolen.  There  could  be  no  doubt  this 
time,  Bright  said,  that  a  servant  was  the  thief,  since  no 
outsider  could  escape  with  such  bulky  plunder  without 
being  noticed. 

The  landlord  immediately  sent  for  a  city  detective,  who 
soon  arrived.  He  looked  very  wise,  and  said  just  what 
most  detectives  would  have  said : 

"What  in  h— 1  did  the  man  put  the  money  under  the 


43  PINKERTOWS  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

carpet  for  ?  Why  didn't  he  carry  it  in  his  pocket  ?  There 
is  one  thing  certain  —  the  shirts  were  stolen  by  one  of 
these  d — d  Irish  biddies  to  give  to  her  beau,"  his  theory 
in  this  respect  coinciding  with  Bright's. 

"  Now  we  must  keep  a  sharp  watch  on  them  all,"  con 
tinued  the  detective.  "  The  landlord  must  order  all  the 
girls  to  stay  in  the  house  unless  they  have  permission  to 
go  out.  If  any  of  them  ask  leave  to  go,  I  will  arrest  them 
and  see  whether  they  have  not  hidden  the  shirts  under 
their  clothes.  I  will  soon  go  through  them,"  he  added, 
with  a  sneering  laugh. 

The  Prince  said  that  this  was  the  first  time  he  had  ever 
seen  any  thing  of  the  kind.  The  detective,  he  thought, 
must  be  a  very  shrewd  fellow,  and  it  was  fortunate  that 
they  had  secured  so  valuable  a  man. 

The  detective  then  retired  to  the  bar-room,  and  while 
eagerly  swallowing  the  drinks  to  which  the  boarders 
treated  him  liberally,  he  laid  before  them  his  plan  for 
capturing  the  guilty  biddy.  He  intended  placing  two 
detectives  of  the  second  grade  outside  the  house.  Then, 
if  any  of  the  servants  left  the  house  the  "  shadows  "  would 
follow  them  and  "give  them  to  an  officer."  They  would 
then  be  searched,  and  if  the  stolen  property  were  found 
on  them, he  would  soon  put  them  where  they  could  do  no 
more  harm. 

This  was  all  rather  vague,  as  he  neglected  to  inform  the 
boarders  how  the  servants  could  be  arrested  in  the  street 
and  searched  without  any  warrants.  Moreover,  he  also 
forgot  to  say  what  would  happen  if  he  arrested  and 
searched  an  innocent  person.  But  these  little  trifles 
were  not  noticed  by  the  boarders,  who  had  great  confi 
dence  in  anything  that  called  itself  a  detective. 


CLAUDE  MELNOTTE  AS  A  DETECTIVE.         43 

The  Prince  retired  to  his  room  to  dress  for  dinner,  but 
watched  his  opportunity  to  slip  out  unseen  and  came 
straight  to  my  office.  He  reported  the  facts  of  the  rob 
bery,  and  of  the  presence  and  plans  of  the  city  detective. 
I  said  that  the  latter's  movements  would  not  interfere 
with  us,  since  if  he  could  find  the  thief,  so  much  the  bet 
ter,  though  I  had  no  faith  in  him  whatever. 

I  complimented  the  Prince  on  his  zeal  and  attention  to 
duty,  and  instructed  him  to  learn  all  he  could  about 
Bright.  I  wished  especially  to  find  out  where  the  latter 
was  just  previous  to  Hutchinson's  discovery  of  his  loss. 

"  Not  that  I  suspect  Bright,"  I  added,  "for  I  also  think 
this  theft  was  committed  by  the  servants.  But  still,  find 
out  whether  Bright,  or  a  servant,  or  anyone  else,  was  seen 
in  the  hall  in  the  vicinity  of  Hutchinson's  room.  By  the 
way,  was  there'any  mark  on  the  shirts?" 

"  Yes,"  replied  the  Prince,  "  there  was  a  large  letter  H 
in  the  lower  corner  of  each  one." 

"  Well,  that's  all,"  I  said  ;  "  you  can  return  to  the  Clifton, 
Prince." 

The  Prince  returned  to  the  hotel,  and  went  down  to 
dinner  a  little  late.  After  dinner  he  entered  the  smoking- 
room,  where  he  found  Bright  engaged  in  narrating  the 
details  of  the  robbery  and  his  reasons  for  believing  that 
it  had  been  committed  by  a  servant.  The  Prince  noticed 
that  even  Mr.  Hutchinson  himself  did  not  take  any  more 
interest  in  the  robbery  than  Bright.  The  boarders  thought 
that  Bright  reasoned  very  forcibly,  and  that  he  was  an 
exceedingly  kind-hearted  ycung  man  to  take  such  an 
interest  in  another's  loss. 

After  a  time  Bright  joined  the  Prince,  and  they  went  to 


44  PINKER  TON 'S  DETECTIVE  S TORIES. 

the  billiard-room.  They  smoked  and  played  billiards  for 
an  hour,  and  then  joined  the  ladies  in  the  parlor.  The 
Prince  was  in  high  spirits,  and  succeeded  in  entertaining 
his  fair  admirers  most  charmingly.  He  was  prevailed 
upon  to  play,  and  as  usual,  his  performance  was  greeted 
with  great  applause. 

As  he  finished  playing,  he  glanced  around  and  saw  that 
Bright  was  not  in  the  room.  He  had  intended  to  tell 
Bright  of  the  engagement  to  go  sleigh-riding  with  the 
Pearsons  the  next  day,  and  so  he  excused  himself  from 
the  company  and  stepped  into  the  hall  to  look  for  his 
young  friend.  He  thought  he  saw  a  figure  like  Blight's 
passing  out  of  the  front  door,  so  he  hurried  after  him, 
intending  merely  to  speak  to  him  a  moment  and  then 
return.  As  the  night  was  cold,  he  seized  his  fur  cap  and 
went  out  the  side  entrance.  On  reaching  the  street,  he 
saw  Bright  walking  away  rapidly,  and  the  idea  suddenly 
flashed  into  his  mind  to  follow.  He  had  received  no 
orders  to  "  shadow  "  anyone,  but  he  thought  it  could  do 
no  harm  to  see  where  this  fashionable  young  idler  spent 
his  evenings. 

Bright  walked  to  Dearborn  street,  and  turning  north, 
continued  in  that  direction  until  he  arrived  opposite  the 
Tremont  House,  when  he  suddenly  dashed  up  a  pair  of 
stairs  and  disappeared. 

"  Aha !  this  will  be  good  news  for  Pinkerton,"  said  the 
Prince,  as  he  returned  to  the  hotel,  where  he  spent  the 
remainder  of  the  evening  in  the  parlor. 

The  Prince  came  down  to  breakfast  early  the  next 
morning,  but  his  friend  Bright  did  not  appear.  After 
waiting  for  some  time,  the  Prince  took  a  walk  alone, 


CLAUDE  MELNOTTE  AS  A  DETECTIVE.          45 

arriving  at  my  office  about  ten  o'clock.  After  hearing  his 
report,  I  said : 

"  You  did  well  to  follow  Bright.  So  he  went  to  Bill 
Gardner's  faro  rooms,  did  he  ?  That's  a  point  of  some 
importance.  He  knew  the  way  so  well  that  it  is  evident 
he  had  been  there  before.  I  should  like  to  know  what 
money  he  played  with.  It  is  too  late  to  find  that  out 
now,  but  I  will  provide  for  him  after  this.  Whenever 
you  step  to  the  door,  you  will  see  one  of  my  *  shadows ' 
approaching  you  from  the  direction  of  the  lake.  He  will 
follow  Bright  and  leave  you  to  your  duty  in  the  Clifton 
House.  If  you  do  not  see  the  *  shadow,'  however,  you 
must  follow  Bright  yourself." 

The  Prince  returned  to  the  Clifton  House,  and  after 
lunch,  was  promptly  on  hand  to  fulfill  his  engagement 
with  Mrs.  Pearson.  Her  handsome  sleigh,  drawn  by  a 
span  of  coal  black,  thorough-bred  horses,  was  at  the  door, 
and  the  weather  and  sleighing  were  remarkably  fine.  The 
Prince  handed  the  ladies  to  their  seats,  a  vacant  place 
beside  Miss  Pearson  being  left  for  him,  and  they  were 
soon  flying  down  the  avenue.  Miss  Pearson  renewed 
her  interesting  conversation  of  the  previous  day  with 
the  Prince,  while  her  happy  mamma  beamed  upon  them 
approvingly  from  the  opposite  seat.  From  every  window 
of  the  hotel,  as  they  moved  off,  envious  glances  were 
thrown  after  them,  while  Mrs.  Pearson  was  pronounced 
lf a  foxy  old  schemer,"  and  her  daughter  "an  impudent 
minx."  The  party  was  certainly  very  stylish  and  attracted 
much  attention.  The  conversation  between  Miss  Pearson 
and  the  Prince  was  still  carried  on  in  German,  and  the 
young  lady's  face,  lit  up  with  bright  smiles,  showed  how 


46  PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

much  she  was  enjoying  herself.  Suddenly  she  turned  to 
her  mother  and  said  : 

"  Oh !  mamma !  how  delightful !  The  Prince  has  been 
telling  me  all  about  the  Crimean  war,  and  he  says  that 
when  we  go  to  Europe  he  will  get  passes  from  his  father 
to  visit  the  battle-fields,  and  will  show  us  the  spot  where 
the  Light  Brigade  made  their  famous  charge." 

"  Oh  !  indeed ;  you  are  too  kind,  Prince.  I  don't  know 
how  we  can  sufficiently  thank  you,"  replied  the  overjoyed 
Mrs.  Pearson. 

"  The  charm  of  to  haf  such  agreeable  society  will  be 
to  me  a  sufficient  reward,"  replied  the  Prince,  bowing 
gallantly. 

It  will  be  seen  that  my  Prince  did  not  lack  inventive 
capacity  in  the  bestowal  of  his  promises,  for,  as  I  after 
wards  learned,  he  never  made  two  alike.  He  was  natu 
rally  obliged  to  draw  heavily  on  his  imagination  to  satisfy 
all  his  friends  equally,  and,  I  must  say,  he  succeeded 
marvelously.  Having  once  agreed  to  "  play  the  prince," 
he  was  determined  that  no  petty  considerations  of  expense 
or  trouble  should  interfere  with  his  princely  generosity  — 
in  promises. 

After  a  most  enjoyable  ride,  the  party  returned  to  the 
Clifton  House  in  the  best  of  spirits. 

Shortly  after  his  return,  the  Prince  met  Bright,  who 
complained  of  not  having  slept  well  the  night  before.  He 
said  that  he  did  not  feel  well,  and  invited  the  Prince  to 
step  down  to  the  bar-room.  Here  Bright  drank  heavily, 
as  usual,  ordering  "brandy .smashes." 

"What  is  that?  "  asked  the  Prince.  "  I  should  it  like 
to  taste,"  and  he,  also,  called  for  one. 


CLAUDE  MELNOTTE  AS  A  DETECTIVE.          47 

He  pronounced  it  too  strong  for  him,  however,  as  in 
Bavaria  he  was  accustomed  to  drink  only  beer  and  light 
wines. 

From  the  bar-room  they  went  into  the  sitting-room,  and 
as  it  was  not  time  to  dress  for  dinner,  the  Prince  threw 
himself  on  a  sofa.  The  drive  in  the  cold  air  had  made 
him  quite  drowsy,  and  in  a  few  minutes  he  fell  into  a  light 
nap.  While  he  was  sleeping  he  turned  half  over,  and  his 
pocket-book  fell  upon  the  floor.  This  pocket-book  was 
an  exact  fac-simile  of  his  cigar-case,  according  to  a 
custom  quite  prevalent  in  Europe  at  that  time. 

The  entrance  of  a  gentleman,  named  Stark,  awoke  the 
Prince  just  as  Bright  had  picked  up  the  pocket-book. 

"Hulloa!  "  said  Stark,  "has  the  Prince  lost  his  pocket- 
book  ?  " 

The  Prince  quickly  sprang  up,  and  Bright  handed  it  to 
him  with  the  remark  that  he  had  intended  taking  care  of 
it  until  the  Prince  waked  up.  The  Prince  thanked  him 
for  his  kindness,  and  nothing  more  was  thought  about  the 
matter.  When  the  Prince  reported  the  incident  to  me, 
however,  it  suggested  a  new  idea,  which  was  too  valuable 
to  be  thrown  away.  The  reader  will  soon  discover  what 
this  idea  was,  and  how  I  made  use  of  it. 

At  dinner  the  Prince  formed  the  acquaintance  of  Mr. 
Hanson,  a  wealthy  real  estate  dealer.  Mr.  Hanson 
belonged  to  an  aristocratic  Kentucky  family,  and  conse 
quently,  rather  looked  down  on  those  who  had  the  misfor 
tune  to  be  born  in  the  North.  The  Prince  had  met  his 
family  the  evening  before,  but  had  not  seen  Mr.  Hanson 
until  that  evening  at  dinner,  when  that  gentleman  sent  a 
glass  of  wine  to  him,  and  saluted  him  as  he  drank. 


48  PINKERTON^S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

Mr.  Bright  informed  the  Prince  that  the  gentleman 
to  whom  he  had  bowed,  was  Mr.  Hanson,  who  consid 
ered  himself  the  most  aristocratic  gentleman  in  the  house. 
Mr.  Hanson's  family  consisted  of  his  wife  and  several 
daughters,  the  eldest  of  whom  was  a  lovely  brunette, 
about  sixteen  years  old,  just  budding  into  womanhood. 

After  dinner  the  Prince  met  Miss  Pearson  in  the  parlor 
and  was  having  a  pleasant  chat  about  Germany,  when 
Mr.  Hanson  came  up  and  introduced  himself.  They 
conversed  together  for  some  time,  and  then  Mr.  Hanson 
took  the  Prince's  arm  and  strolled  through  the  parlors. 
As  they  walked,  the  Prince  spoke  of  the  pleasure  of  his 
sleigh-ride  that  day. 

"  I  don't  like  sleigh-rides,"  returned  Mr.  Hanson.  "We 
don't  use  sleighs  in  Kentucky,  where  I  came  from.  I've 
made  a  heap  o'  money  speculatin'  in  reel  estate  since  I 
came  to  Chicago,  an'  I  thought  some  o'  totin'  my  family 
over  to  U-rope  next  year.  By  the  way,  couldn't  I  manage 
to  borrow  a  few  millions  in  Bavaria  at,  say  three  per  cent, 
per  annum  ?  I  could  invest  it  here  at  three  per  cent,  a 
month." 

"  No,  I  think  you  hardly  could,  for  our  Bavaria  all  her 
capital  needs  for  —  what  you  call  it  ?  —  home  improof- 
ments,"  replied  the  Prince. 

By  this  time  they  had  reached  Mrs.  Hanson  and  her 
daughter,  who,  it  may  be  remarked,  en  passant,  were  par 
ticularly  vexed  to  think  that  the  Pearsons  had  been  the 
first  to  appear  in  public  with  the  Prince.  The  Hansons 
and  Pearsons  were  rival  aspirants  for  the  leadership  of 
the  Clifton  House  set,  and  represented  respectively  the 
red  and  the  white  rose ;  the  brunettes  and  the  blondes. 


CLAUDE  MELNOTTE  AS  A  DETECTIVE.          49 

Mrs.  Pearson  had  spoken  of  the  Prince's  kind  offer  to 
accompany  herself  and  daughter  on  a  European  tour,  and 
Mrs.  Hanson  was  determined  to  succeed  equally  well 
with  His  Highness.  Hence,  she  addressed  him  with  her 
most  languid  and  would-be  aristocratic  air : 

"  Oh  !  Herr  Lindeman  —  as  you  will  persist  in  calling 
yourself  —  you  have  no  idea  how  I  long  to  visit  Germany. 
It  must  be  such  a  beautiful  country.  How  I  dote  on  that 
lovely  poem,  *  Bingen  on  the  Rhine !  '  I  should  so  like 
you  to  hear  my  daughter  repeat  it.  Ever  since  I  first  read 
about  Germany  I  have  had  a  longing  to  visit  it.  You 
must  know  I  am  of  a  very  poetical  temperament.  I  think 
a  great  deal  of  poetry,  and  music,  and  painting,  and  art, 
and  —  and  —  such  things.  Now,  my  poor  husband  here 
—  heigh-ho  !  all  he  cares  for  is  to  run  after  corner-lots. 
He  doesn't  drag  his  business  into  the  parlor,  however,  as 
so  many  people  do.  It  is  so  vulgar,  the  way  some  folks 
are  always  talking  about  business.  My  wish  is  to  be 
acquainted  with  European  courts."  Saying  which,  Mrs. 
Hanson  looked  most  bewitchingly  at  the  Prince. 

At  this  moment  she  saw  the  Pearsons  approaching, 
evidently  intent  on  carrying  off  the  Prince,  and  she, 
therefore,  executed  a  brilliant  manoeuvre  right  under  the 
guns  of  the  enemy. 

"  Herr  Lindeman,  won't  you  play  for  us  ?  "  she  asked. 
"  You  do  play  so  divinely.  I  am  a  great  lover  of  music, 
and  Annie  is,  also." 

"  Yes,"  replied  the  Prince  ;  "  it  will  give  me  pleasure  to 
play  if  your  daughter  will  sing." 

"I  am  not  a  good  singer,"  said  Miss  Hanson;  "but  if 
my  singing  will  induce  you  to  play,  I  offer  myself  a  will- 


50        PJNKERTON^S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

ing  sacrifice,"  and  taking  the  Prince's  arm,  she  walked  to 
the  piano  before  the  Pearsons  could  get  within  speaking 
distance. 

"  There,"  said  Mrs.  Hanson  to  her  husband,  "  didn't  I 
manage  that  well  ?  All  the  company  are  looking,  and  I 
think  I  served  those  upstart  Pearsons  just  about  right. 
Who  are  they,  anyhow  ?  Her  husband  was  only  a  dealer 
in  fancy  notions,  and  she  has  the  presumption  to  put  her 
self  on  a  level  with  old  Kentucky  families,  like  us." 

The  Prince  and  Miss  Hanson  played  and  sang  together 
the  whole  evening,  and  when  they  parted  it  was  with  evi 
dent  regret.  Miss  Hanson  was  very  fascinating,  and  she 
seemed  to  have  exercised  her  powers  on  the  Prince  with 
telling  effect.  Mrs.  Hanson  remarked  the  next  day  : 

"  Our  girl  is  very  much  in  love  with  the  Prince,  and  he 
with  her.  He  told- her  yesterday  that  he  was  passionately 
fond  of  brunettes." 

Who  would  have  thought  such  a  change  could  have 
been  wrought  in  a  few  hours  ?  It  was  only  the  morning 
previous  that  the  Prince  had  told  Miss  Pearson  that  he 
cared  only  for  blondes  / 


CHAPTER     VIII. 

THE  company  in  the  parlor  dispersed  about  eleven 
o'clock.  The  Prince  and  several  other  young  gen 
tlemen,  including  Bright,  went  up  to  Mr.  Robinson's  room 
to  try  some  fine  liquor  which  he  had  just  received.  Bright 
was  in  high  spirits,  and  was  dressed  with  unusual  care. 
The  Prince  judged  from  his  manner  that  he  did  not  wish 
to  remain  long,  and  concluded  that  he  probably  intended 
going  to  Bill  Gardner's  faro  bank  to  spend  a  few  hours. 
The  Prince  was  so  confident  that  Bright  was  going  out 
somewhere,  that  he  excused  himself  from  the  party  for  a 
few  minutes,  got  his  hat  and  cloak,  and  slipped  out  of  the 
hotel  by  the  side  door  on  Wabash  avenue. 

The  reader  familiar  with  Old  Chicago,  will  recollect 
that  the  Clifton  House  was  situated  on  the  corner  of 
Wabash  avenue  and  Madison  street,  the  principal  entrance 
being  on  the  last-named  street.  My  office  was  on  the 
corner  of  Washington  and  Dearborn  streets,  only  three 
blocks  distant. 

On  reaching  the  front  of  the  hotel,  the  Prince  could  see 
nothing  of  the  "  shadow  "  whose  duty  it  was  to  follow 
Bright.  He  knew,  however,  that  he  would  be  sure  to  find 
some  of  my  men  sleeping  in  the  office.  So  he  hurried 
over  on  a  keen  run.  He  was  agreeably  surprised  to  find 
Mr.  Bangs,  my  General  Superintendent,  in  the  office.  On 
hearing  the  Prince's  suspicions  that  Bright  was  going  out 


52  PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

for  the  night,  Bangs  called  up  McCarthy,  a  shrewd,  quick 
witted  "shadow,"  gave  him  a  full  description  of  Bright's 
personal  appearance,  and  ordered  him  to  watch  the  Clif 
ton  House.  When  a  young  gentleman  answering  to  that 
description,  came  out,  McCarthy  was  to  follow  him. 
Another  young  man  might  come  out  and  point  out  Bright 
to  the  "  shadow,"  but  whether  he  was  pointed  out  or  not, 
Bright  must  be  followed  in  case  he  left  the  hotel.  (I  had 
been  careful  not  to  let  any  of  my  other  detectives  know 
anything  about  the  soi-disant  prince,  as  it  was  not  neces 
sary  that  they  should  know  anything.) 

McCarthy  hurried  to  the  Clifton  House  and  took  a 
position  where  he  could  watch  both  entrances.  The 
Prince  had  already  returned  and  joined  his  jovial  com 
panions  in  Robinson's  room.  At  a  quarter  past  twelve, 
the  Prince  excused  himself  from  the  party  on  the  plea  of 
fatigue,  and  went  to  his  room.  Bright  remarked  at  the 
same  time  that  he  would  like  to  have  a  quiet  smoke,  and 
also  withdrew.  In  a  few  minutes  he  left  the  house,  wear 
ing  a  heavy  overcoat,  anu  having  his  face  partly  concealed 
by  a  warm  muffler.  The  night  was  very  dark,  but  as  he 
passed  out  of  the  gas-lighted  hall,  McCarthy  got  a  good 
look  at  him,  and  felt  sure  that  it  was  his  man.  To  make 
assurance  doubly  sure,  however,  the  "  shadow  "  stopped 
Bright  under  a  street  lamp,  and  asked  the  way  to  Lake 
street.  Having  thus  satisfied  himself  of  his  correctness, 
McCarthy  kept  Bright  in  sight  until  they  reached  the 
Court  House  square.  There  Bright  took  a  hack,  and  was 
driven  across  the  bridge  to  the  North  Side.  McCarthy 
seated  himself  comfortably  behind,  and  only  jumped  off 
when  he  saw  the  hackman  was  slacking  his  speed.  The 


CLAUDE  MELNOTTE  AS  A  DETECTIVE.         53 

carriage  then  drew  up  in  front  of  a  well-known  house  of 
ill-fame,  kept  by  Madam  Hatch,  the  proprietress  of  the 
most  elegant  house  of  that  character  in  the  city.  Bright 
got  out,  paid  the  hackman,  and  entered  the  house.  The 
fact  that  he  had  discharged  the  hackman  was  evidence 
that  he  intended  to  spend  the  night.  McCarthy,  there 
fore,  returned  to  my  office,  and  reported  to  Mr.  Bangs, 
who  ordered  him  to  go  back  to  the  North  Side  and  watch 
Madam  Hatch's  house  all  night. 

Bangs  then  came  directly  to  my  house,  on  Adams 
street,  and  asked  my  advice.  I  told  him  that,  late  as  it 
was,  he  had  better  call  immediately  on  Madam  Hatch, 
and  inquire  the  name  of  the  young  gentleman  who  had 
called  at  her  house  early  that  morning ;  also  to  find  out 
all  that  she  knew  with  regard  to  him.  Accordingly,  Mr. 
Bangs  drove  to  Madam  Hatch's.  It  was  two  o'clock 
when  he  arrived  there,  but  Madam  was  still  up.  Business 
was  brisk,  the  champagne  had  been  circulating  freely,  and 
she  was  in  the  best  of  humors. 

She  greeted  Bangs  cordially,  and  readily  granted  him  a 
private  interview.  He  then  told  her  that  he  had  come,  at 
my  request,  to  learn  what  she  knew  of  the  young  gentle 
man  who  had  arrived  there  about  one  o'clock  that  night. 
He  proceeded  to  describe  the  man,  but  had  not  gone  far 
in  his  description,  before  she  said : 

"  Oh  !  I  know  whom  you  mean.  If  Mr.  Pinkerton  will 
promise  never  to  divulge  the  source  of  his  information,  I 
will  tell  all  that  I  know  of  him." 

Bangs  gave  his  pledge  that  she  should  never  be  known 
in  connection  with  the  case,  and  she  continued : 

"  The  man  to  whom  you  refer  is  Mr.  Bright.  He  brought 


54  PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

a  St.  Louis  girl  here,  about  three  months  ago,  and  he  pays 
all  her  expenses  most  liberally.  I  know  you  can't  be 
after  him.  Mr.  Pinkerton  makes  mistakes  as  often  as 
other  men,  and  he  could  not  make  a  greater  mistake  than 
to  be  suspicious  of  Bright.  He  is  one  of  the  most  perfect 
gentlemen  I  have  ever  met.  He  spends  his  money  freely, 
and  his  girl  gets  all  she  wants.  She  has  one  of  the  finest 
wardrobes  of  any  girl  in  the  city,  and  only  the  other  day 
he  brought  her  a  magnificent  brown  silk.  No,  no ;  Mr. 
Pinkerton  can  have  no  cause  to  suspect  him." 

"It  seems  a  clear  case  of  mistaken  identity,"  said 
Bangs;  "and  I  agree  with  you,  that  Mr.  Pinkerton  has 
made  a  mistake.  By-the-by,  does  Bright  call  often  ?  " 

"  Oh  !  yes ;  he  is  a  fine  fellow,  and  never  neglects  his 
girl.  He  is  always  here  three  or  four  times  a  week,  and 
often  takes  her  out  for  a  drive.  She  is  a  splendid  girl, 
and  I  know  several  gentlemen  who  are  dying  to  pay  her 
attention,  but  she  will  have  nothing  to  do  with  them.  She 
is  afraid  of  Bright,  and  it  would  not  do  to  have  reports 
brought  to  his  ears.  He  is  so  liberal  that  it  would  be  folly 
for  her  to  risk  losing  him.  He  is  talking  of  going  to  New 
Orleans,  and  will  take  her  with  him." 

"  He  must  be  a  fine  catch  for  a  good  girl,"  said  Bangs. 
"  There  is  evidently  a  mistake  in  suspecting  him.  Won't 
you  take  some  champagne,  Madam  Hatch  ?  " 

Champagne  was  something  which  the  Madam  was  never 
known  to  refuse,  so  she  hurried  off  to  get  a  bottle.  On 
returning,  she  playfully  allowed  the  cork  to  pop  into 
Bangs'  face,  and  filled  two  large  goblets  with  the  spark 
ling  fluid.  The  shallow  champagne  glasses  then  in  fashion 
were  not  at  all  to  Madam's  taste. 


CLAUDE  MEDNOTTE  AS  A  DETECTIVE.          55 

"  What  business  is  young  Bright  engaged  in  ?  "  asked 
Bangs,  as  he  sipped  his  wine. 

"  He  is  not  in  business  at  all,"  said  the  Madam.  "  His 
father  is  a  wealthy  dry-goods  merchant  of  New  York,  and 
he  has  sent  his  son  to  Chicago  to  see  the  world  for  a  time 
before  going  into  business.  The  old  gentleman  keeps  Ed. 
liberally  supplied  with  money,  in  order,  I  suppose,  to  let 
him  sow  his  wild  oats  here,  before  coming  home  to  settle 
down  to  steady  habits.  Beyond  looking  after  his  father's 
customers  in  Chicago,  he  seems  to  have  nothing  to  do. 
Sometimes  he  comes  here  with  a  party  of  gentlemen,  but 
he  never  lets  them  see  his  girl.  He  always  stays  around 
until  they  retire,  before  going  to  her  room." 

"  This  is  fine  champagne,"  said  Bangs,  looking  at  it 
critically,  while  mentally  pronouncing  it  rather  fair  cider. 
'* Bright  is  a  fortunate  young  man." 

Then  finishing  his  glass,  he  added  : 

"  There  is  no  doubt  that  Mr.  Pinkerton  is  mistaken  this 
time.  How  much  for  the  champagne  ?  What,  only  five 
dollars !  Why,  you  will  ruin  yourself  selling  such  a  fine 
article  at  that  price,"  and  paying  the  amount,  Mr.  Bangs 
came  away. 

He  met  McCarthy  outside,  and  relieved  him  from 
watching  any  further,  until  eight  o'clock  next  morning. 
About  eight  o'clock  McCarthy  was  again  on  hand,  and 
when  Bright  came  out,  about  an  hour  later,  the  "  shadow" 
saw  him  safely  inside  the  doors  of  the  Clifton  House, 
before  coming  to  the  office  to  report.  As  Bright  entered 
the  hotel,  he  passed  the  Prince,  who  was  in  the  hall,  but 
he  hurried  to  his  room,  without  stopping  to  speak. 


CHAPTER    IX. 

WHEN  I  had  heard  McCarthy's  report,  I  called  Mr. 
Bangs  into  my  private  office  and  learned  what 
had  taken  place  at  Madam  Hatch's.  I  then  sat  musing 
some  time,  and  at  length  said  : 

"  Bangs,  I  rather  think  we  shall  tree  the  coon  before 
long.  By  the  way,  has  Sharp  reported  yet  ?  What  did 
he  make  out  of  that  washerwoman  ?" 

I  had  put  Sharp  on  the  track  of  Bright's  washerwoman 
to  see  whether  something  might  not  be  discovered  about 
the  stolen  underclothing. 

"  No,"  said  Bangs,  "  he  hasn't  made  out  anything  yet. 
He  only  observed  a  colored  girl  cutting  some  shirts 
shorter  and  hemming  them." 

"What !"  said  I,  starting  up,  "you  think  that  isn't  any 
thing?  Well,  I  think  it  everything.  The  shirts  which 
were  stolen  had  a  large  letter  H  in  the  lower  corner.  If 
Sharp  had  only  got  me  one  of  those  pieces  with  an  H  on 
it,  I  should  have  asked  nothing  more." 

"Well,"  said  Bangs,  "Sharp  was  unable  to  get  any  of 
the  clippings,  but  he  may  be  able  to  get  a  piece  yet.  He 
overheard  the  woman  tell  the  girl  to  cut  off  just  two 
inches." 

"  I  am  sorry  he  did  not  succeed,"  I  replied,  "  but  Sharp 
is  a  good  man  and  may  do  better  if  he  tries  again.  This 
case  begins  to  work  up  nicely.  You  know,  Bangs,  I  am  a 


CLAUDE  MELNOTTE  AS  A  DETECTIVE.          57 

firm  believer  in  first  impressions ;  I  seldom  have  to 
abandon  them.  The  first  impression  I  get  always  takes 
fast  hold  of  me,  and  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten  it  proves  to 
be  correct.  The  first  time  I  laid  eyes  on  Bright,  I  felt 
that  he  was  the  thief,  and  now  I  am  convinced  of  it.  All 
we  shall  have  to  do  is  to  wait,  and  the  Prince  will  draw 
him  out." 

In  the  course  of  the  morning  the  Prince  strolled  down 
town  and  met  Mr.  Beaver,  a  wealthy  banker,  who  boarded 
at  the  Clifton  House.  They  met  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
Tremont  House,  and  Mr.  Beaver  greeted  the  Prince  very 
heartily.  He  invited  his  distinguished  friend  to  visit  his 
bank,  which  was  close  by.  The  Prince  had  just  come 
out  of  Bill  Gardner's  faro  bank,  but  thought  best  to  say 
nothing  of  this  visit  to  a  rival  establishment. 

Mr.  Beaver  gave  the  Prince  a  full  description  of  the 
methods  of  banking  in  this  country,  and  modestly  called 
attention  to  the  superior  character  of  his  own  banking 
facilities.  He  concluded  by  asking  the  Prince  to  drive 
out  with  Mrs.  Beaver  and  her  daughters  in  the  afternoon. 
The  Prince  had  no  other  engagement,  and  expressed 
himself  as  most  pleased  to  accept  the  invitation. 

Mr.  Beaver  was  the  happy  father  of  three  marriageable 
daughters,  a.nd  though  he  was  a  great  advocate  of  repub 
lican  principles,  it  was  possible  that  he  would  not  have 
objected  to  giving  one  of  the  young  ladies  in  marriage  to 
a  wealthy  prince. 

After  dinner  the  Beaver  family  sleigh  drove  up  to  the 
main  entrance  of  the  hotel.  The  Prince  assisted  Mrs. 
Beaver  and  the  young  ladies  into  the  sleigh,  and  then 
took  a  seat  beside  the  eldest  Miss  Beaver.  As  they  drove 


58  PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

off,  the  attentions  of  the  three  beautiful  young  brunettes 
and  the  admiring  looks  of  their  mamma  were  so  over 
powering  as  almost  to  abash  even  the  Prince,  ready  man 
of  the  world  though  he  was;  but  their  lively  conversation 
soon  put  him  at  his  ease.  The  subject  of  their  remarks 
was  European  aristocracy,  with  which,  of  course,  he  was 
perfectly  familiar,  and  they  lamentably  ignorant ;  hence 
he  was  able  to  give  them  a  great  deal  of  entertaining 
information  relative  to  the  pleasures  of  court  life. 

The  young  ladies  said  that  their  mamma  intended 
taking  them  to  Europe  in  the  summer,  but  that  their 
papa  was  so  much  bound  up  in  business  that  he  might 
remain  behind.  The  Prince  gave  Mrs.  Beaver  a  most 
cordial  invitation  to  visit  his  father  when  they  went  to 
Bavaria,  and  said  that  he  would  write  to  his  father  on  the 
subject  immediately.  He  then  proceeded  to  describe  the 
grand  old  palace  which  had  been  in  the  possession  of  his 
family  for  many  generations.  He  pictured  in  glowing 
colors  its  architectural  beauties  and  its  massive  construc 
tion  ;  its  walls,  hung  with  the  richest  Gobelin  tapestry ; 
its  art  gallery,  filled  with  priceless  gems  of  painting  and 
sculpture ;  its  grand  old  halls,  which,  in  former  days,  had 
rung  with  the  songs  and  shouts  of  his  mailed  ancestors 
and  their  loyal  vassals ;  and  lastly,  the  noble  park  sur 
rounding  the  castle,  where  the  huntsman's  horn  so  often 
had  echoed  in  the  chase  of  the  deer  or  the  wild  boar. 

Then  the  Prince  gave  an  account  of  the  reception  of 
the  King  of  Bavaria  at  the  castle,  just  before  the  depart 
ure  of  Prince  Beauharnais  for  the  Crimea.  The  illumina 
tion  of  the  castle  and  park  was  a  sight  for  a  lifetime. 
The  grounds  were  one  flood  of  light,  so  arranged  as  to 


CLA  UDE  MELNO TTE  AS  A  DETECTIVE.          59 

produce  the  most  picturesque  and  enchanting  effects. 
The  crest  of  the  range  of  hills  encircling  the  valley  in 
which  the  palace  was  situated,  was  crowned  with  a  con 
tinuous  line  of  flame,  while  the  distant  hill-sides  were 
dotted  with  elegant  designs  of  immense  size,  representing 
fountains,  trees,  castles,  and  ships,  all  in  fire.  From  the 
park  gates  to  the  grand  entrance  to  the  castle,  a  steady 
stream  of  carriages  stretched  continuously,  depositing 
their  loads  of  titled  visitors  rapidly  and  without  percepti 
ble  delay.  His  vivid  memory  enabled  him  to  describe 
some  of  the  exquisite  toilets  worn  by  the  ladies,  their 
jewels  and  costly  laces.  He  also  drew  heavily  upon  his 
recollection  —  I  had  almost  said  imagination  —  for  the 
gorgeous  uniforms  and  court  dresses  worn  by  the  gentle 
men  of  the  royal  household.  He  concluded  by  mention 
ing  the  grand  orchestra  of  one  hundred  master  musicians, 
who  played  the  beautiful  German  waltzes  so  irresistibly 
that  the  mere  memory  of  them  was  enough  to  make  one 
wish  to  dance. 

It  is  needless  to  say  that  the  Prince's  graphic  descrip 
tion  completely  fascinated  the  Beavers,  and  made  him 
almost  an  object  of  adoration  in  their  sight.  The  grandest 
entertainments  they  had  ever  attended  paled  into  utter 
insignificance  before  those  which  must  be  matters  of 
common  occurrence  in  the  circle  of  nobility  to  which  the 
Prince  belonged.  They  only  wondered  that  the  Prince 
could  ever  have  torn  himself  away  from  such  delightful 
society;  that  he  was  able  to  exist  in  the  plebeian  atmos 
phere  of  Chicago,  was  truly  surprising.  He  certainly 
was  a  most  finished  gentleman,  the  young  ladies  thought, 
besides  being  so  very  fascinating  in  his  conversation  and 


60  PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

manners.  Whether  they  would  have  formed  the  same 
opinion  of  him  had  they  known  his  real  social  status  is  a 
question  I  leave  the  reader  to  determine. 

After  a  delightful  drive  of  two  hours,  the  party  returned 
to  the  hotel  in  fine  spirits.  The  Prince  escorted  the 
ladies  to  their  apartments  and  then  walked  down  to  the 
office. 


CHAPTER    X. 

ON  entering  the  office,  the  Prince  met  Bright,  who 
was  smoking  a  cigar,  as  usual.  Bright  said  that  he 
had  been  looking  for  his  friend  for  some  time,  as  he 
wanted  to  have  a  quiet  talk.  They  accordingly  took  seats 
in  a  corner  of  the  smoking-room,  where  they  would  be 
unobserved. 

"  I  wanted  to  see  whether  you  would  like  to  go  to  a 
masquerade  ball,  to-morrow  night,"  said  Bright.  "It  will 
be  a  very  fine  affair,  and  only  gentlemen  of  known  respect 
ability  can  obtain  tickets,  so  that  there  will  be  no  disor 
derly  nor  glaringly  disreputable  characters  there.  It  is 
intended  to  be  a  thoroughly  respectable  ball,  and  it  will 
be  attended  by  many  ladies  in  good  society ;  but  there 
will  be  just  enough  of  a  sprinkling  of  girls  who  are  a  little 
inclined  to  be  fast,  to  make  it  lively.  Wouldn't  you  like 
me  to  get  you  a  ticket  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  replied  the  Prince,  "I  should  much  like  to  go." 

"We  will  have  a  jolly  time  together,"  said  Bright. 
"What  costume  shall  you  wear?  " 

"  I  haf  but  little  time  a  costume  to  prepare.  What  can 
I  get  ready-made?  " 

"Well,"  said  Bright,  "I  saw  a  uniform  at  the  costumer's 
where  my  suit  is  making,  which  I  think  would  just  about 
suit  you.  It  was  a  very  resplendent  affair,  and  you  could 
call  yourself  a  Bavarian  general.  The  man  could  easily 


62  PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

alter  it  for  you,  and  add  such  insignia  of  rank  as  are  worn 
in  the  Bavarian  service.  You  could  step  in  there  to-mor 
row  morning,  and  give  the  directions.  He  can  easily 
make  the  alterations  before  night." 

"Yes,  I  think  that  would  suit  me,"  said  the  Prince. 
"  What  costume  shall  you  wear  ?  " 

u  Oh  !  I  am  going  as  a  lawyer,  with  bag,  wig  and  gown. 
I  think  I  can  play  the  part  pretty  well,  and  the  disguise 
will  be  perfect.  By  the  way,  Prince,  I  will  introduce  you 
to  a  young  lady  who  will  be  glad  to  accompany  you,  and 
who  will  be  a  lively  companion." 

"  Very  well,  mein  freund,  order  me  a  ticket,,  a  costume, 
a  carriage,  a  young  lady,  and  everything  else  that  is  neces 
sary.  Myself  I  place  at  your  disposal.  Now  I  go  to  dress 
for  dinner."  So  saying,  the  Prince  went  to  his  room. 

In  the  evening,  the  Prince  joined  the  company  assem 
bled  in  the  parlor,  and,  as  usual,  was  a  bone  of  contention 
among  the  rival  belles.  The  Hansons,  the  Pearsons,  and 
the  Beavers  were  out  in  full  force,  each  endeavoring,  by  a 
series  of  delicate  strategic  movements,  to  out-manceuvre 
the  others,  and  capture  the  Prince.  The  star  of  the  Beaver 
beauties  was  rather  in  the  ascendant,  as  they  had  had 
possession  of  him  all  the  afternoon ;  but  they  desired  to 
monopolize  him  for  the  evening  also.  They  had  already 
informed  everyone  in  the  room  that  the  Prince  had  invited 
them  to  pay  a  visit  to  his  father  in  Bavaria,  and  that  he 
was  going  to  give  them  letters  of  introduction  to  Prince 
Beauharnais,  the  elder,  and  to  various  other  titled  persons 
in  Germany.  They  could  not  help  showing  their  elation 
at  their  great  good  fortune,  and  in  many  ways  assumed 


CLAUDE  MELNOTTE  AS  A  DETECTIVE.          63 

such  important  manners  as  to  irritate  all  the  other  ladies 
in  the  room. 

When  the  Prince  entered  the  parlor,  he  first  encountered 
Mrs.  and  Miss  Hanson,  who  quickly  engaged  him  in  con 
versation.  Before  they  could  mature  any  plan  to  retain 
possession  of  their  prize,  however,  Mr.  Beaver  entered 
the  door  behind  the  Prince,  who  had  not  yet  seated  him 
self.  He  saw  the  latter  bending  over  Mrs.  Hanson  and 
her  daughter,  while  beyond,  he  saw  his  own  wife  and 
daughters  casting  despairing  looks  at  the  trio  before  him. 
Comprehending  the  situation  at  a  glance,  he  determined 
to  carry  off  the  Prince  before  Mrs.  Hanson  could  arrange 
another  such  a  musical  party  as  the  one  of  the  previous 
evening.  He,  therefore,  stepped  up  to  the  Prince,  slapped 
him  familiarly  on  the  shoulder,  and  said,  jocularly : 

"Prince,  I  have  a  favor  to  ask  of  you.  Couldn't  you 
manage  to  secure  an  introduction  for  my  wife  and  daugh 
ters  to  King  Maximilian,  of  Bavaria?  " 

"  I  haf  no  doubt  that  I  could  so  do,"  replied  the  Prince, 
politely.  "  A  presentation  day  comes  twice  by  a  month, 
at  which  I  or  my  father  could  have  your  charming  family 
presented." 

Mr.  Beaver  was  perfectly  overjoyed.  It  never  occurred 
to  him  that  the  American  minister  at  Munich  could  have 
presented  his  family  just  as  well;  but  he  now  felt  that 
they  would  make  the  European  tour  under  the  most  aris 
tocratic  auspices,  and  he  was  highly  elated  at  the  prospect. 
In  the  excess  of  his  happiness,  he  grasped  the  Prince's 
arm,  and  said  : 

"  Won't  you  favor  us  with  some  music,  Prince  ?  If  you 
will,  I  will  have  my  daughter  sing  with  you." 


64  PINKER  TON 'S  DETECTIVE  S  TORIES. 

It  was  impossible  to  decline,  and  the  Prince  was  soon 
securely  anchored  on  the  piano  stool,  with  one  of  the  fair 
Beavers  to  keep  possession  of  him.  The  inexpressible 
wrath  of  Mrs.  Hanson,  who  thus  saw  her  own  tactics  used 
against  her,  must  be  imagined;  I  confess  my  total  inabil 
ity  to  do  justice  to  the  subject.  For  the  remainder  of  the 
evening  the  Beavers  stood  guard  over  the  Prince.  There 
had  been,  already,  some  considerable  dissension  in  the 
ranks  of  the  Beaver  family,  as  to  which  of  the  young 
ladies  was  entitled  to  the  credit  of  having  attracted  the 
Prince's  attentions,  and  the  younger  girls  were  disposed 
to  dispute  the  elder's  claim  to  all  of  his  society.  Hence, 
no  matter  where  the  Prince  went  that  evening,  he  was  sure 
to  be  under  convoy  of  one  of  the  omnipresent  Beavers. 
He  was  forced  to  admit  to  me  that,  as  far  as  perseverance 
went,  they  were  not  only  Beavers  by  name,  but  beavers  by 
nature. 

In  spite  of  all  the  attentions  paid  him,  however,  the 
Prince  did  not  relax  his  vigilant  watch,  and  at  one  time 
he  discovered  that  Bright  was  not  in  the  room.  He  imme 
diately  went  to  the  front  door,  on  the  plea  of  looking  at 
the  weather;  but  seeing  one  of  my  "shadows  "  on  duty 
he  returned  to  the  custody  of  the  Beavers.  In  about  an 
hour,  Bright  came  in,  but  soon  went  out  again,  and 
remained  nearly  half  an  hour.  Nearly  all  the  boarders 
were  in  the  parlors,  hence  the  Prince  concluded  that  Bright 
had  been  down  in  the  bar-room. 

It  was  nearly  twelve  o'clock  before  the  party  broke  up, 
and  as  the  Prince  passed  out  of  the  parlor,  Bright  joined 
him,  and  dragged  him  down  to  the  bar-room. 

Bright  wished  to  take  the  Prince  out  for  a  lark,  but  as 


CLAUDE  MELNOTTE  AS  A  DETECTIVE.          65 

the  latter  had  no  desire  to  "  see  the  elephant,"  Bright 
said : 

"  Well,  then,  I  will  take  you  over  to  Madam  Hatch's, 
where  you  can  pick  out  %  partner  for  the  ball.  You  will 
find  many  different  styles  to  select  from,  and  the  girl  you 
choose  will  be  sure  to  go." 

The  Prince  tried  to  avoid  going,  but  Bright  was  so  per 
sistent  that  he,  at  length,  consented.  A  hack  soon  took 
them  to  Madam  Hatch's  door,  where  Bright  was  about  to 
dismiss  the  hackman,  but  the  Prince  interfered.  It  would 
be  beneath  his  dignity,  he  said,  to  pass  the  night  in  such 
a  house,  and,  therefore,  he  wished  the  hack  to  remain. 
Bright  stammered  in  a  confused  way,  begged  the  Prince's 
pardon,  and  told  the  driver  to  remain,  as  they  should  be 
out  in  a  few  moments.  They  then  entered  the  house. 

In  the  parlor  they  found  a  number  of  handsome  women, 
who,  it  is  hardly  necessary  to  state,  belonged  to  the  demi 
monde.  They  were  of  the  higher  class  of  such  women, 
many  of  them  being  well-educated  and  accomplished. 
Bright  ordered  champagne  for  the  party,  and  the  young 
men  remained  some  little  time,  chatting  with  the  girls,  and 
sipping  their  wine.  Bright  then  made  another  faux  pas, 
by  asking  the  Prince  to  play.  The  latter's  pride  would 
not  permit  him  to  comply  with  the  request  in  such  society, 
so  he  politely  begged  to  be  excused. 

After  a  time  the  Prince  designated  the  girl  he  wished  to 
accompany  him  to  the  ball,  and  she  promised  to  be  ready 
to  go,  when  he  called,  the  next  night. 

"  But  what  lady  go  you  with  ?  "  the  Prince  asked  Bright. 

"Oh!  she  does  not  live  here,"  he  replied.  "You  will 
see  her  to-morrow  night." 


66  PINKER  TON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

This  showed  the  Prince  that  Bright  did  not  wish  any 
one,  whosoever,  to  see  his  fair  mistress. 

Having  remained  in  all  nearly  an  hour,  they  took  their 
leave,  and  re-entered  the  hack.  They  had  gone  but  a 
short  distance  when  Bright  made  the  hackman  stop.  He 
said  that  he  had  a  message  for  one  of  the  girls,  which  he 
had  forgotten  to  deliver,  and  that  he  would  go  back  for 
that  purpose.  He  told  the  Prince  not  to  wait,  and  the 
latter,  therefore,  returned  to  the  Clifton  House  alone. 
Bright  had  been  "shadowed  "  by  McCarthy,  and  when  he 
got  out  of  the  carriage,  he  was  seen  to  go  straight  to 
Madam  Hatch's,  where  he  spent  the  night. 


CHAPTER   XI. 

AFTER  breakfast  the  next  morning,  the  Prince  was 
astonished  to  hear  that  Mr.  Blair,  who  roomed  only 
two  doors  from  him,  had  been  robbed  during  the  night. 
Mr.  Blair  had  retired  late,  and  in  consequence,  had  slept 
late  the  next  morning.  On  awakening,  he  had  sprung  up 
and  commenced  dressing  hurriedly.  He  had  gone  to  his 
bureau  for  a  clean  shirt,  and  had  instantly  discovered  that 
he  had  been  robbed.  His  loss  consisted  of  about  one 
hundred  and  fifty  dollars  in  coin,  a  gold  watch  and  chain, 
and  a  valuable  diamond  ring,  a  present  from  a  lady.  Mr. 
Blair  had  immediately  made  known  his  misfortune,  and 
the  Prince  was  again  a  wondering  spectator  of  one  of  the 
weekly  excitements  of  American  hotel  life. 

Mr.  Blair  finally  rushed  off  to  find  the  members  of  the 
committee,  who  had  gone  to  their  respective  places  of 
business.  He  soon  brought  them  together  and  told  his 
tale  of  woe.  They  all  felt  highly  incensed  and  came 
swooping  down  upon  me  like  eagles  on  their  prey. 

"What  are  you  going  to  do,  Mr.  Pinkerton?"  said  one. 

"  I  think  it's  very  strange  that  you  can't  catch  the  thief, 
with  all  your  experience/'  said  another. 

"  If  you  don't  catch  him  pretty  soon,  we  shall  all  leave 
the  Clifton  House,"  chimed  in  a  third. 

I  bore  their  scolding  as  meekly  as  possible  and  finally 
calmed  them  down  by  assuring  them  that  I  was  actively 


68  PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

engaged  in  working  up  the  case.  I  begged  them  to  keep 
quiet  and  to  rest  assured  that  I  was  doing  everything  in 
my  power  to  ferret  out  the  guilty  party.  I  told  them  that 
I  had  hopes  of  detecting  the  thief  within  the  coming 
week,  but  that  they  must  have  patience  and  not  expect  a 
detective  to  be  omnipotent  and  omnipresent.  They 
finally  departed  in  a  somewhat  less  unreasonable  frame 
of  mind. 

During  the  forenoon  the  Prince  came  to  my  office  and 
related  his  experience  with  the  Beavers.  I  paid  little 
attention  to  this,  as  their  conduct  was  about  what  I  had 
expected  it  to  be,  but  I  asked  him  how  Bright  had  acted 
during  the  evening. 

"  Oh  !  he  twice  the  room  left,  once  staying  an  hour  or 
more,"  replied  the  Prince. 

"  Was  the  number  of  people  in  the  parlor  large  ?"  I 
asked. 

"Yes,"  he  answered,  "there  were  much  people  present. 
Nearly  all  the  boarders  were  in  the  room  and  many  of 
their  friends  from  the  outside.  I  was  to  many  strangers 
introduced,  but  I  could  not  much  say  to  them,  as  the 
Beavers  always  drew  me  off." 

"  Was  it  while  the  room  was  crowded  that  Bright  was 
away  ?"  I  asked. 

"Yes,  but  I  could  not  find  to  where  he  went.  I  saw  a 
detectif  outside,  so  I  thought  he  had  not  gone  away." 

The  Prince  then  went  out  to  prepare  for  the  masque 
rade,  and  left  me  to  think  over  his  report. 

"Strange!"  I  said  to  myself.  "It  is  barely  possible 
that  I  may  be  mistaken,  but  I  feel  sure  that  Bright  is  the 
thief.  Could  it  have  been  possible  for  him  to  slip  off, 


CLAUDE  MELNOTTE  AS  A  DETECTIVE.          69 

while  everyone  was  in  the  parlor,  and  commit  that  rob 
bery  ?  If  he  did  it,  that  was  his  only  opportunity,  as  he 
spent  the  night  at  Madam  Hatch's  after  twelve  o'clock. 
If  the  robbery  took  place  after  that  hour,  Bright  must  be 
innocent  of  that  crime,  at  all  events.  Well,  I  must  have 
patience  ;  it  won't  do  to  be  in  a  hurry." 

I  then  called  Mr.  Bangs  into  my  private  office. 

"Bangs,"  I  said,  "  I  wish  you  to  write  to  New  York  in 
order  to  learn  all  we  can  about  Mr.  Bright,  senior.  Try 
to  find  out  why  he  keeps  his  son,  young  Ed.  Bright,  so 
much  away  from  home.  We  may  need  this  information 
soon,  don't  you  think  so?" 

"  We  might  learn  something  relative  to  the  young  man's 
character  that  would  be  of  use,"  Bangs  replied. 

"  Then  please  write  to  my  New  York  correspondent — 
Robert  Boyer — and  tell  him  to  look  up  Mr.  Bright.  Let 
him  find  out  how  that  gentleman  stands  in  commercial 
circles  and  in  society.  I  think  it  might  be  well  to  put  a 
1  shadow  '  at  work,  to  get  in  with  the  servants  and  dis 
cover  why  young  Bright  does  not  live  at  home.  Servants 
always  know  a  great  deal  more  about  family  matters  than 
their  employers  are  aware  of.  If  Bright's  servants  are 
Irish,  Boyer  might  put  Lynch  on  that  duty  ;  you  know  he 
served  on  my  force  some  time,  and  we  can  depend  upon 
him." 

"Yes,"  said  Bangs,  "he  will  be  just  the  man  to  do  that 
work.  I  will  dictate  a  letter  to  Boyer  immediately." 

About  two  o'clock,  I  was  hurriedly  summoned  to  Mr. 
Beaver's  bank.  As  I  entered  the  door,  Mr.  Beaver  seized 
me  by  the  arm  with  a  nervous,  trembling  grasp,  and  drew 
me  into  his  private  office. 


70  PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

"  Pinkerton,"  he  said,  "  some  scoundrel  got  into  the 
Clifton  House  last  night  and  stole  all  my  family's  jewelry 
and  two  hundred  dollars  in  cash.  This  forenoon  Mrs. 
Beaver  wished  to  make  some  purchases  for  the  girls,  as 
they  are  going  out  driving  this  afternoon  with  a  Bavarian 
prince,  who  is  stopping  at  the  Clifton,  but  on  going  to  her 
desk  to  get  some  money,  she  found  not  only  all  the  money 
gone,  but  also  all  the  jewelry  we  possess,  except  a  few 
trinkets  the  girls  wore  last  evening.  The  robbery  must 
have  been  committed  during  the  night,  as  at  dinner-time 
nothing  had  been  disturbed.  I  don't  care  for  the  money, 
but  I  must  find  the  jewelry.  It  was  a  very  fine  collection, 
and  I  would  not  have  taken  five  thousand  dollars  for  it. 
What  shall  I  do?"  he  continued,  growing  more  and 
more  excited.  "  There  will  be  a  grand  ball  at  the  Clifton 
in  a  short  time,  and  positively,  my  family  have  nothing  to 
wear." 

While  he  was  talking,  my  mind  was,  figuratively,  run 
ning  after  his  jewelry.  I  felt  sure  that  Bright  did  not 
sell  it,  as  that  would  be  too  difficult  a  matter  for  him  and 
too  dangerous.  The  fact  that  the  trinkets  worn  by  the 
Beaver  girls  during  the  previous  evening  had  not  been 
stolen,  satisfied  me  that  Bright  was  the  thief,  and  that  he 
had  committed  both  robberies  while  absent  from  the  par 
lor  on  the  two  occasions  noticed  by  the  Prince.  Now,  if 
he  did  not  sell  the  jewelry,  what  did  he  do  with  it?  I 
decided  that  he  must  be  in  the  habit  of  taking  all  jew 
elry  and  similar  articles  to  the  woman  whom  he  was 
keeping  at  Madam  Hatch's.  Of  course,  she  knew  that 
it  was  stolen,  but  she  probably  intended,  in  case  of 
Bright's  detection,  to  escape  with  all  his  presents,  since 


CLAUDE  MELNOTTE  AS  A  DETECTIVE.          71 

hardly  anyone  knew  her  relations  to  Bright.  These  were 
the  thoughts  which  flashed  through  my  mind  as  I  listened 
to  Mr.  Beaver,  but  I  merely  said  : 

"I  will  hunt  up  your  jewelry  as  quickly  as  possible. 
Meanwhile,  don't  mention  your  loss,  and  I  have  no  doubt 
that  I  shall  succeed  in  recovering  it." 

"Do  you  suppose  I  shall  keep  quiet?"  he  asked, 
angrily.  "I  shall  advertise  my  loss  in  every  newspaper 
in  town.  Can't  you  find  out  at  the  pawnbrokers'  shops 
whether  any  of  my  jewelry  has  been  offered  for  sale  ?  I 
know  they  would  tell  you,  as  you  are  an  old  hand  in  the 
detective  business." 

"I  can  inquire,"  I  replied,  "but  I  have  no  expectation 
of  learning  anything  in  that  direction.  The  thief  will  not 
offer  your  jewelry  for  sale  in  Chicago,  you  can  depend 
upon  that." 

"Well,  if  you  can't  do  anything,  I  must  get  some  one 
that  can,"  snarled  the  irate  Beaver.  "  I  must  recover  my 
jewelry  immediately,  as  the  Prince  is  very  attentive  to  my 
daughters,  and  it  will  not  do  for  them  to  appear  at  parties 
with  him  without  their  jewelry." 

I  tried  my  best  to  calm  him  down,  but  without  any 
effect.  He  had  an  idea  that  detectives  were  omnipotent, 
and  that  nothing  was  easier  for  them  than  to  recover 
stolen  property  when  they  wished  to  do  so. 

"  I  have  sent  for  the  city  police,"  he  said,  "  and  they 
will  be  here  directly.  No  one  at  the  hotel  knows  any 
thing  of  my  loss  as  yet,  but  all  the  world  shall  know  it 
to-morrow.  I  will  have  the  whole  police  force  at  work, 
if  necessary,  for  I  am  determined  to  find  my  jewelry." 

I  smiled  inwardly  as  I  thought  of  the  way  in  which 
6 


72  PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

the  "  whole  police  force  "  would  assist  in  the  recovery  of 
the  stolen  property.  I  was  satisfied  that  the  jewelry  was 
safely  lodged  in  the  hands  of  Bright's  mistress,  and  that 
the  police  might  search  every  pawnbroker's  shop  in  the 
city  without  discovering  the  least  clue.  I  knew  perfectly 
well  that  even  an  offer  to  compromise  for  money  would 
be  ineffectual,  since  none  of  the  professional  thieves  or 
"fences  "*  had  possession  of  the  stolen  articles. 

I  felt  very  confident  that  Madam  Hatch  was  ignorant 
of  Bright's  operations.  She  was  a  woman  possessing 
many  good  qualities,  and  honesty  was  one  of  them.  Her 
business  was  one  of  the  most  disreputable  character,  but 
she  would  never  tolerate  a  thief,  and  I  was  satisfied  that 
if  she  should  be  informed  that  an  inmate  of  her  house 
was  receiving  stolen  property,  she  would  give  me  her 
assistance  in  recovering  it. 

I  could  not  convince  Mr.  Beaver  of  the  folly  of  making 
his  loss  known  publicly,  and  I  therefore  left  him,  as  he 
had  worked  himself  into  a  violent  passion. 

On  entering  my  office  I  was  surprised  to  see  the  Prince 
awaiting  my  return.  The  Misses  Beaver  had  already  told 
him  of  their  loss,  and  he  had  hurried  out  to  report  it  to 
me.  The  Beavers  had  previously  made  arrangements  for 
the  Prince  to  go  driving  with  them  that  afternoon,  but 
they  were  so  much  excited  and  distressed  that  they  had 
been  obliged  to  ask  him  to  excuse  them  from  going.  I 
heard  his  story  and  then  told  him  to  return  to  the  Clifton 
House. 

I  thought  to  myself,  as  the  Prince  went  out,  that  he 

*  A  "fence"  is  a  receiver  of  stolen  goods  —  one  who  makes  a  bus 
iness  of  buying  stolen  property  from  thieves. 


CLAUDE  MELNOTTE  AS  A  DETECTIVE.          73 

was  a  pretty  good  detective.  Although  he  had  been  sur 
rounded  by  an  admiring  crowd  the  night  before,  he  had 
noticed  Bright's  absence  from  the  parlor  twice ;  again,  in 
the  morning  he  had  left  all  the  pleasant  gaiety  of  the 
hotel  to  come  straight  to  me  with  a  report  of  the  Beaver 
robbery. 

I  was  now  well  satisfied  that  Bright  had  robbed  both 
Mr.  Blair  and  Mr.  Beaver,  and  I  determined  to  arrange 
the  trap  for  his  capture  as  soon  as  I  should  hear  from 
New  York.  I  was  particularly  glad  that  I  had  written  to 
Boyer  to  put  Lynch  at  work,  as  I  wished  to  know  some 
thing  of  Bright's  past  history. 

Bright  remained  about  the  hotel  most  of  the  day.  He 
was  rather  quiet  and  subdued,  except  when  speaking  of 
the  robberies,  and  then  he  became  quite  indignant.  He 
was  very  bitter,  indeed,  and  even  advocated  the  formation 
of  a  vigilance  committee  to  catch  the  thief  and  hang  him 
to  the  nearest  lamp  post. 

"There  is  no  use  in  temporizing,"  he  said;  "we  must 
make  an  example  of  this  scoundrel  or  we  shall  never 
have  any  peace." 

Mr.  Robinson  came  into  my  office  in  the  afternoon  to 
report  the  Beavers'  loss,  and  to  again  urge  me  to  hasten 
my  plans  for  the  capture  of  the  criminal.  He  said  that 
a  young  man  named  Josephs  had  left  the  hotel  that 
morning,  bound  for  New  York.  Josephs,  he  added,  was 
known  to  be  very  fond  of  jewelry,  and  many  of  the 
boarders  suspected  him  of  having  robbed  the  Beavers. 
Mr.  Robinson,  therefore,  wished  me  to  telegraph  to  New 
York  to  have  Josephs  arrested  on  his  arrival  there.  I  said 
I  had  already  written  to  New  York,  and  that  if  Josephs 
had  taken  the  jewelry  he  would  surely  be  arrested. 


CHAPTER    XII. 

THE  grand  masquerade  ball  at  Metropolitan  Hall 
had  been  announced  a  month  in  advance,  and  the 
preparations  were  such  as  to  insure  its  complete  success. 
The  intention  had  been  that  none  but  persons  of 
acknowledged  respectability  should  be  able  to  obtain 
tickets.  In  consequence,  it  was  attended  by  hundreds  of 
wealthy  and  fashionable  people.  To  be  sure  the  Clifton 
House  set  did  not  consider  it  sufficiently  exclusive  for 
their  fastidious  tastes,  but  this  did  not  prevent  large 
numbers  of  other  members  of  the  haut  ton  from  attend 
ing,  though  afterward  none  of  them  could  be  found  who 
would  acknowledge  having  been  present.  Not  that  there 
was  anything  improper  occurred,  or  that  decorum  was  not 
strictly  observed,  but  it  became  known  that  some  of  the 
fair  masqueraders  were  not  all  they  should  have  been; 
hence  the  really  respectable  ladies  who  had  been  present 
swore  their  escorts  to  secrecy,  and  denied  all  knowledge 
of  the  ball.  This  was  perfectly  practicable,  since  no  one 
had  seen  their  faces,  and  recognition  behind  their  masks 
was  impossible.  Indeed,  it  was  shrewdly  surmised  that 
some  of  the  Cliftonian  ladies  even,  had  counted  upon  this 
fact  in  advance,  and  while  professing  that  they  would 
never  think  of  attending  a  public  ball,  had,  in  secret, 
made  up  a  party  expressly  to  attend  this  masquerade. 
Be  that  as  it  may,  the  ball  was  certainly  a  great  success; 


CLA UDE  MELNO TTE  AS  A  DETECTIVE.         75 

and  while  the  majority  of  ladies  were  undoubtedly  above 
suspicion,  there  was  a  sufficient  attendance  of  the  higher 
class  of  the  demi-monde  to  make  it  uncommonly  lively. 

At  nine  o'clock  the  Prince  was  ready.  He  had  obtained 
a  very  rich  and  showy  uniform,  which  set  off  his  fine 
figure  to  great  advantage,  while  his  features  were  entirely 
concealed  by  a  close-fitting  mask.  Entering  his  carriage 
at  the  Clifton  House,  he  drove  straight  to  Madam  Hatch's, 
where  he  found  his  fair  partner  impatiently  awaiting  him. 

She  was  dressed  to  represent  a  shepherdess,  and  was  as 
frisky,  and  apparently  as  innocent,  as  the  young  lambs 
which  she  was  supposed  to  take  care  of.  She  had  been 
influenced  in  her  choice  of  costume  by  the  extreme  short 
ness  of  her  dress — at  both  ends.  In  fact,  as  the  young  lady 
in  question  rarely  had  an  opportunity  to  show  herself  in 
public,  she  was  determined  that,  on  this  occasion,  people 
should  see  as  much  of  her  as  possible,  and  it  must  be 
acknowledged  that  she  succeeded. 

As  she  was  all  ready  when  the  Prince  arrived,  he 
handed  her  into  the  carriage,  and  in  a  short  time  they 
were  mingling  with  the  gay  throng  of  miscellaneous  char 
acters  in  Metropolitan  Hall. 

In  about  half  an  hour,  Bright  arrived  with  his  partner. 
He  wore  the  bag,  wig  and  gown  of  an  English  chancery 
solicitor,  while  she  was  dressed  as  Diana,  the  goddess  of 
the  chase.  The  correctness  of  their  costumes,  the  ease 
with  which  they  acted  their  parts,  and  the  exceptionally 
beautiful  form  of  the  lady,  caused  a  murmur  of  admira 
tion  to  greet  them  as  they  moved  about  the  hall.  She 
wore  a  close-fitting  corselet,  made  of  fine  scales  of  gold, 
cut  square  and  low  in  the  neck,  with  a  narrow  band  going 


76  PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

over  each  shoulder.  Her  magnificent  arms  were  wholly 
bare,  and  the  snowy  whiteness  of  her  matchless  neck  and 
bust  was  unrivaled.  She  carried  a  light  bow  in  her  left 
hand,  and  a  quiver  of  arrows  hung  over  her  left  shoulder, 
though  she  soon  laid  these  articles  aside  as  inconvenient 
in  dancing.  She  wore  a  light  tiara  of  gold  filagree-work, 
which  gave  a  regal  poise  to  her  elegantly  shaped  head  ; 
and  her  whole  carriage  was  queenly  and  commanding. 

Another  of  the  belles  who  attracted  much  attention  was 
a  representative  of  Winter.  She  wore  a  white  satin  dress, 
cut  very  low,  both  in  front  and  back,  with  a  very  long, 
trailing  skirt.  The  top  of  the  corsage  was  trimmed  with 
long,  glass  pendants,  which  were  exact  representations  of 
icicles.  Her  arms  were  bare;  the  puffed  bands  which 
took  the  place  of  sleeves,  being  trimmed  with  soft,  white 
eider-down.  Around  every  flounce  of  the  skirt  ran  a  light 
vine  of  ivy  leaves,  with  little  clusters  of  red  holly  berries 
at  intervals.  Her  hair  was  dressed  in  the  prevailing 
fashion,  but  was  powdered  to  a  snowy  whiteness.  She 
wore  a  light  and  graceful  coronet  of  thorn  ivy,  set  with 
red  holly  berries,  the  same  as  those  on  the  skirt.  Over 
all  the  dress  was  draped  a  mass  of  transparent,  silk  gauze, 
upon  which  was  fastened  a  great  number  of  tufts  of  new 
Sea-island  cotton,  in  imitation  of  flakes  of  snow. 

A  Turkish  costume  also  excited  much  admiration.  The 
wearer  was  a  petite  brunette,  of  exquisite  proportions  and 
graceful  carriage.  Her  undervest  was  of  purple  satin, 
richly  embroidered,  and  trimmed  around  the  throat  with 
costly  and  delicate  lace.  The  bosom  was  cut  V-shaped, 
the  opening  being  continued  to  the  waist,  and  filled  in, 
also,  with  lace,  below  the  top  of  the  embroidered  chemise 


t  ) 


CLAUDE  MELNOTTF  AS  A  DETECTIVE.         77 

Over  this  vest  she  wore  a  light,  floating  garment,  with 
close-fitting  sleeves,  reaching  to  the  wrist,  where  they  ter 
minated  in  lace  ruffles.  The  body  was  cut  away  in  a  quick 
curve  from  the  throat,  on  each  side,  leaving  the  undervest 
wholly  exposed  in  front,  while  behind,  this  over-dress  fell 
nearly  to  the  floor,  like  a  cavalier's  cloak.  Her  lower 
limbs  were  clothed  in  full  Turkish  trousers,  fastened  about 
the  waist  with  a  voluminous  scarf,  or  sash,  of  soft  mate 
rial,  which  was  wound  in  quite  a  number  of  folds  above 
her  hips.  These  trousers  were  fastened  just  below  the 
knee,  but  they  fell,  in  a  loose,  easy  fold,  nearly  to  the  an 
kle.  She  wore  clocked  silk  stockings,  and  beautifully 
embroidered,  yellow  satin  slippers,  turning  up  to  a  point 
at  the  toes.  A  very  light,  white  turban  was  on  her  head, 
from  which  hung  a  long,  white  veil,  which  completely 
concealed  her  features,  except  her  eyes.  This  veil  was 
worn  only  on  making  her  entree^  and  was  soon  removed 
for  convenience,  the  face  being  still  concealed  by  a  mask. 

These  were  three  of  the  most  striking  of  the  costumes, 
though  there  were  many  scores  of  others  which  would 
merit  description,  if  space  permitted.  As  far  as  dress  was 
concerned,  there  certainly  had  never  been  before  in  Chi 
cago  a  masquerade  of  equal  elegance  and  style. 

The  Prince  had  been  instructed  to  watch  Bright's  part 
ner  closely,  and  to  obtain  a  view  of  her  face,  if  possible. 
He,  accordingly,  soon  lost  his  unsophisticated  young 
shepherdess  in  the  crowd,  and  kept  his  eye  upon  the  god 
dess  Diana.  For  a  long  time  it  seemed  as  if  it  would  be 
impossible  to  speak  to  her  alone.  Though  she  was  always 
an  object  of  admiration  to  many  handsome  and  agreeable 
cavaliers,  she  paid  no  attention  to  anyone  except  Bright, 


78  PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

and  the  latter  seemed  determined  not  to  let  her  go  out  of 
his  sight.  At  length,  however,  he  was  dragged  away  to 
plead  a  case,  and  Diana,  for  the  first  time,  was  left  alone. 
The  Prince  saw  that  this  would  probably  be  his  only 
chance  to  find  out  who  she  was,  hence  he  resolved  to  carry 
her  by  storm.  He  knew  how  fond  all  the  demi-monde  are 
of  admiration,  and,  therefore,  decided  to  address  her  in  a 
strain  of  fervent  flattery,  and  to  pretend  that  he  was  des 
perately  in  love  with  her.  He  had  no  time  to  lose,  so, 
walking  up  to  her,  he  whispered  in  her  ear: 

"  Oh  !  beautiful  Diana,  a  word  with  thee." 

"What  dost  thou  wish?  "  she  said,  starting,  as  she  saw 
the  handsome  figure  bending  over  her. 

"  I  would  to  thee  a  word  in  private  speak,"  he  replied. 
"  If  thou  wouldst  not  drive  thy  true  adorer  to  despair, 
grant  my  request." 

She  hesitated  a  moment,  glanced  around,  as  if  looking 
for  some  one,  and  then,  taking  the  Prince's  arm,  she  ac 
companied  him  to  a  side  room,  which  was  connected  with 
the  ball-room  by  a  door  at  each  end.  The  Prince  saw 
that  Bright  was  nowhere  in  the  vicinity,  and  that  the  room 
was  unoccupied.  He  then  addressed  his  companion  in 
the  impassioned  tones  of  an  ardent  lover: 

"You  must,  indeed,  have  thought  my  request  strange; 
but  will  you  pardon  me  when  I  say  —  I  love  you.  Oh! 
forgif  me,  but  I  can  help  it  not.  The  moment  when  you 
the  hall  entered,  I  felt  that  I  was  doomed.  Every  move 
ment  is  such  grace !  Every  feature  is  such  perfection  !  I 
haf  never  seen  your  face,  but  I  love  you,  I  adore  you.  I 
haf  within  me  that  which  tells  me  behind  your  mask  is  a 
face  of  beauty.  Oh !  lovely  Diana,  raise  this  mask,  and 


CLAUDE  MELNOTTE  AS  A  DETECTIVE.          79 

let  me  upon  your  features  look.  See  !  on  my  knee,  I 
implore  this  favor." 

"  No,  no,"  she  answered  hurriedly.  "  I  was  not  to  raise 
my  mask.  You  know  not  what  you  ask." 

"  Pardon  me,  sweet  Diana,  but  do  not  refuse  me  my 
request.  Little  will  it  cost  to  you  ;  but  to  me  great  pleas 
ure  it  will  give." 

"  But,  my  lord,  I  promised  not  to  raise  my  mask  to 
any  one,"  she  answered,  in  an  undecided  tone. 

"Oh!  most  cruel  Diana!"  urged  the  Prince,  seizing 
her  hand.  "  I  cannot  —  will  not  leave  you  until  your 
sweet  face  I  see."  Saying  which,  he  kissed  her  hand  pas 
sionately,  without  rebuke. 

"  Prince,"  she  said,  (with  the  air  of  one  who  had  held 
out  as  long  as  could  reasonably  be  expected,)  "  I  know 
who  you  are.  Bright  has  told  me  all  about  you,  and  I 
have  been  dying  to  see  you.  I  am  as  anxious  to  see  your 
face  as  you  are  to  see  mine,  so,  if  you  will  unmask,  I  will, 
also." 

The  Prince  instantly  removed  his  mask,  saying: 

"  Oh !  charming  goddess,  can  it  possible  be  that  you 
know  and  care  for  me?  Oh!  this  is  bliss  indeed." 

As  he  spoke,  the  lady  also  took  off  her  mask,  revealing 
a  face  of  such  rare  beauty  as  positively  to  startle  the  Prince 
for  an  instant.  Her  complexion  was  of  that  exquisite, 
creamy  softness  which  is  so  unusual,  and  it  was  plain  that 
she  was  not  indebted  to  either  paint  or  powder  for  its 
perfection.  Her  forehead  was  low  and  broad,  and  was 
crowned  by  the  delicate  filagree-work  of  her  coronet.  Her 
eyes  were  large  and  heavily  fringed  with  dark  brown  lashes. 
Their  color  was  a  luminous  gray,  growing  darker  or  lighter 


80  PINKERTON"S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

according  to  her  moods.  Her  eyebrows  had  the  perfect 
arch,  and  her  nose  the  straight  contour  of  the  Grecian 
statues,  such  as  Phidias  and  Praxiteles  loved  to  create. 
Her  chin  was  just  prominent  enough  in  its  rounding  out 
line  to  give  character  to  the  face  without  spoiling  the 
exquisite  oval,  while  her  cheeks  were  full  and  tender. 
Her  mouth  was  a  perfect  Cupid's  bow,  and  the  tempting, 
rosy  lips  contained  evidence  of  a  passionate  willingness 
to  be  kissed  which  was  perfectly  irresistible.  At  least,  it 
was  so  to  the  Prince,  who  drew  her  to  a  seat  beside  him, 
and  closed  her  lips  with  kisses,  which  she  returned  with 
equal  ardor. 

She  was  the  first  to  speak : 

*'  Oh  !  Prince,  this  is  happiness.  I  could  travel  to  the 
end  of  the  world  with  you.  But,  for  heaven's  sake,  don't 
let  Bright  know  of  this,  nor  suspect  it.  He  would  kill  me 
if  he  knew  of  it.  I  can  fool  him,  though.  I  love  you 
and  will  manage  to  meet  you  alone  some  evening.  You 
were  at  Madam  Hatch's  last  night,  and  I  tried  to  see  you, 
but  was  afraid  of  Bright.  He  came  back  after  he  went 
away  with  you.  He  keeps  me  at  Madam  Hatch's,  but 
he  never  lets  any  of  his  friends  see  me.  How  I  hate 
him  !  He  is  a  miserable  cur,  while  you  are  so  handsome, 
so  manly.  With  what  feelings  of  delight  shall  I  remem 
ber  this  evening !  How  little  I  thought,  when  I  came 
that  your  arms  would  be  around  me — your  lips  press 
mine !  My  name  is  Mamie  Listen.  Please  call  me 
'Mamie';  it  will  sound  so  sweet  from  your  lips." 

"  Mamie,  darling  Mamie,"  said  the  Prince,  as  he  took 
her  hand  and  drew  a  large  diamond  ring  from  her  finger, 
"let  me  this  ring  take  to  dream  upon.  If  you  to  me  true 


CLAUDE  MELNOTTE  AS  A  DETECTIVE.          81 

will  be,  you  will  find  me  to  you  always  true,"  and  he  slip 
ped  the  ring  on  his  own  finger. 

"  If  you  could  only  dream  such  dreams  as  I  could  wish, 
you  would,  indeed,  dream  well  of  me.  I  hate  the  life  I 
lead  here.  When  you  go  away,  take  me  with  you.  How 
I  should  like  to  see  the  world  with  you !" 

As  the  Prince  was  about  to  reply,  he  glanced  through 
one  of  the  doorways  and  saw  Bright,  evidently  in  search 
of  his  mistress,  approaching  the  room. 

"Here  comes  Bright!"  he  said,  hastily  putting  on  his 
mask.  She  also  replaced  her's  and  said  : 

"Oh!  dear!  what  shall  I  do?  He  will  be  sure  to  find 
us  here  alone,  and  I  am  afraid  to  meet  him." 

"You  slip  out  of  one  door  as  he  the  other  enters.  Mix 
with  the  crowd  and  I  will  here  detain  him  for  a  time," 
said  the  Prince. 

Accordingly,  just  as  Bright  entered  the  room  by  one 
door,  Mamie  passed  out  by  the  door  at  the  other  end, 
which  also  led  into  the  ball-room.  He  came  up  to  the 
Prince  and  said  : 

"  I  thought  I  saw  a  lady  in  here,  Prince.  Who  was 
she  ?" 

"  I  saw  her  not  well,"  said  the  Prince,  "as  I  haf  not 
my  glasses.  She  seemed  for  some  one  to  be  looking." 

"  Ah !  you're  a  sly  dog,"  said  Bright,  familiarly,  evi 
dently  thinking  that  the  Prince  had  been  having  a  flirta 
tion  which  he  wished  to  keep  secret.  "However,  it's  no 
affair  of  mine.  Have  you  seen  my  partner,  the  goddess 
Diana,  lately?  I  have  lost  her,"  he  continued,  entirely 
unsuspicious  that  the  Prince's  companion  had  been  his 
own  charmer. 


82  PINKER  TON '  S  DE  TECTIVE  STORIES. 

"  I  saw  the  lady  at  the  other  end  of  the  hall  a  little 
while  ago,"  said  the  Prince.  "  She  seems  to  be  beautiful, 
and  she  is  the  most  elegantly  dressed  woman  here." 

"  Yes,  she  has  a  good  figure  and  dresses  well,  but  her 
face  is  quite  plain,"  said  Bright,  who  was  alarmed  lest  the 
Prince  should  wish  to  make  her  acquaintance. 

"Ah!  what  a  pity  !"  replied  the  Prince.  "I  was  wish 
ing  an  introduction  to  haf,  but  if  she  has  not  the  beauty 
of  the  face,  I  prefer  much  not  to  see  her.  Much  I  always 
regret  to  see  a  beautiful  form  spoiled  by  a  vicious  face." 

"'Vicious?'  I  never  said  she  was  vicious,"  said  the 
astonished  Bright,  with  considerable  warmth. 

"Ah!  I  must  a  blunder  haf  made,"  returned  the  Prince. 
"You  said  her  face  was  not  beautiful — that  is  ugly, 
*  vicious,'  is  it  not?  Your  pardon  I  ask  if  I " 

"Oh!  I  see,"  interrupted  Bright  with  a  laugh.  "You 
meant  'ugly.'  We  say  an  '  ugly'  horse,  or  an  *  ugly'  dog, 
when  the  animal  is  '  vicious' ;  and  when  a  woman  is  the 
reverse  of  beautiful,  we  say  also  that  she  is  'ugly' ;  but  a 
'vicious'  woman  is  quite  another  thing.  Do  you  see, 
Prince  ?"  he  continued,  laughing. 

"  My  mistake  you  will  excuse,  mein  lieber  freund.  I 
must  better  learn  to  speak." 

"Oh!  that's  all  right,"  said  Bright,  good-humoredly, 
and  they  then  strolled  into  the  ball-room,  each  being  con 
tented  with  the  result  of  the  conversation.  The  Prince 
had  succeeded  in  detaining  Bright  until  Mamie  was  far 
away  at  the  other  end  of  the  hall,  while  Bright  congrat 
ulated  himself  that  he  had  prevented  the  Prince  from 
asking  for  an  introduction  to  Mamie.  On  the  whole,  it 
must  be  confessed  that  the  Prince  had  rather  the  advan 
tage. 


CLAUDE  MELNOTTE  AS  A  DETECTIVE.          83 

In  about  an  hour,  the  Prince  told  Bright  that  he  was 
slightly  unwell,  and  would,  therefore,  retire.  While  look 
ing  for  his  partner,  a  young  page  handed  him  a  note, 
written  on  the  back  of  a  ball  programme.  The  only 
words  were : 

"  Ten  o'clock  to-morrow  evening." 

There  was  no  signature,  but  he  knew  that  it  was  from 
Mamie,  so,  on  passing  her,  he  held  up  the  note  and 
bowed  his  acceptance  of  the  invitation.  She  nodded  to 
show  that  she  understood,  and  passed  on.  The  signal 
and  answer  were  made  while  Bright's  attention  was 
turned  away  from  Mamie,  and  he  suspected  nothing.  In 
a  short  time  the  Prince  found  his  short-skirted  partner, 
and,  much  to  her  regret,  took  her  away  from  the  brilliant 
scene.  Leaving  her  at  Madam  Hatch's,  he  drove  back 
to  the  Clifton  House  at  the  comparatively  early  hour  of 
one  o'clock.  Bright  and  his  partner  remained  at  the  ball 
until  nearly  daylight,  and  then  returned  to  Madam  Hatch's, 
where  Bright  retired.  He  did  not  make  his  appearance 
at  the  Clifton  House  until  nearly  noon. 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

ABOUT   ten  o'clock  the  morning  after  the  ball,  the 
Prince  came  to  my  office,  made  his  report,  and  gave 
me  the  diamond  ring  which  he  had  taken  from  Mamie  Lis- 
ton's  finger  the  night  before. 

I  was  delighted  at  his  success  in  making  her  acquaint 
ance,  and  especially  at  the  fact  of  obtaining  the  ring. 

"Why,"  I  said,  as  I  examined  it,  "this  is  a  very  valuable 
ring,  and  from  its  size,  I  judge  it  must  have  been  intended 
for  a  gentleman." 

The  Prince  replied  that  Mamie  had  invited  him  to  visit 
her  that  evening,  and  that  he  should  have  to  wear  the 
ring  then. 

"  Well,"  I  replied,  "  I  think  I  shall  soon  be  able  to  find 
its  owner  and  allow  you  to  return  it  this  evening.  Prob 
ably  Bright  is  pretty  well  tired  out  with  his  night's  dissi 
pation,  and  so  will  not  visit  her  to-night.  She  must  have 
calculated  on  that  when  she  made  the  appointment  with 
you.  When  you  go  there,  you  must  notice  carefully  all 
the  jewelry  she  wears,  her  clothes  and  the  articles  of  lux 
ury  on  her  toilet-table,  etc.  But  be  very  careful,  for  she 
is,  undoubtedly,  a  sharp  girl,  and  must  not  be  alarmed 
until  we  have  our  nets  all  around  both  her  and  Bright." 

I  then  dismissed  the  Prince  and  sent  a  messenger  for 
Mr.  Robinson.  The  latter  was  one  of  those  men  who 
can  hardly  ever  keep  a  secret  a  day,  unless  they  are  first 


CLA  UDE  MELNOTTE  AS  A  DE  TECTIVE.          85 

sworn  never  to  divulge  it.  On  his  arrival  I  impressed 
upon  him  the  fact  that  any  indiscretion,  at  this  point  of 
my  proceedings,  would  surely  destroy  the  good  effect  of 
all  my  previous  work.  Indeed,  it  might  enable  the  thief 
to  escape.  I,  therefore,  made  Mr.  Robinson  give  me  his 
solemn  pledge  never  to  reveal  what  I  was  about  to  tell 
him ;  I  then  handed  him  the  ring. 

"  Do  you  recognize  that?"  I  asked. 

"  No,  but  it  may  belong  to  the  Beavers,"  he  replied. 

"What  makes  you  think  so?" 

"  Well,  nothing,  except  that  they  have  just  lost  some 
jewelry  and  have  engaged  you  to  recover  it.  However, 
on  second  thoughts,  I  don't  believe  this  is  their's.  It 
seems  to  me  that  the  ring  which  Mr.  Trussing  lost,  about 
eight  or  nine  months  ago,  was  very  similar  to  this  one.  I 
can't  be  certain  about  it,  but  this  ring  strongly  reminds 
me  of  his." 

"  Now,  Mr.  Robinson,"  I  said,  "  I  wish  you  to  take  that 
ring  out  and  try  to  find  the  owner.  You  must  lose  no 
time,  as  I  must  have  it  back  by  six  o'clock  at  the  latest. 
If  you  succeed,  my  labors  will  be  very  much  lightened, 
and  I  may  be  able  to  recover  all  the  stolen  property,  or 
its  equivalent  in  money.  Show  the  ring  to  Mr.  Trussing 
in  a  careless  way,  and  say  that  you  are  thinking  of  buying 
it.  If  he  does  not  recognize  it,  show  it  to  any  other 
boarder  who  has  lost  a  diamond  ring.  Do  not  display  it 
publicly,  nor  mention  to  anyone  that  it  is  stolen  property. 
If  you  come  across  the  owner,  he  will  recognize  it  soon 
enough;  you  must  then  pledge  him  to  secrecy,  make 
yourself  responsible  for  the  ring,  and  bring  it  back  to 
me." 


86  PINKERTON^S  DETECTIVE  STORIES, 

Mr.  Robinson  promised  to  follow  my  instructions  and 
immediately  went  to  the  hotel.  Just  before  lunch,  he 
met  Mr.  Trussing  in  the  hall,  on  his  way  to  his  room. 

"Trussing,"  he  said,  "you  have  bought  a  good  many 
diamonds  and  ought  to  be  well  posted  as  to  their  value ; 
I  want  your  opinion  of  the  value  of  a  ring  which  I  have 
been  offered,  and  which  I  think  of  buying,"  and  so  say 
ing,  he  handed  the  ring  to  Trussing. 

"Why,  that's  my  ring,"  said  the  delighted  Trussing,  as 
he  seized  upon  it.  "Where  in  the  world  did  you  get  it? 
It  was  stolen  from  me  when  these  mysterious  robberies 
first  began.  Tell  me  where  you  got  it,  and  perhaps  we 
can  catch  the  thief." 

"That  is  just  what  I  expect  to  do,"  replied  Robinson. 
"You  must  keep  perfectly  quiet  about  this,  and  in  a  short 
time  we  shall  recover  all  our  lost  articles.  I  thought  it 
was  your  ring,  and  wished  to  make  sure  of  it." 

"  But  where  did  it  come  from  ?"  queried  the  curious 
Trussing. 

"  I  do  not  know  where  it  came  from,  myself,"  was  Rob 
inson's  unsatisfactory  answer.  "  I  cannot  tell  you  any 
thing  about  it,  except  that  the  ring  must  be  returned  to 
the  person  who  gave  it  to  me,  and  I  will  be  responsible 
for  its  safe  return  to  you." 

Trussing  was  decidedly  averse  to  any  such  a  proceed 
ing.  He  had  obtained  possession  of  his  ring,  and  not 
only  wished  to  keep  it,  but,  also,  to  know  all  about  the 
way  in  which  it  had  come  into  Robinson's  hands.  It 
was  only  by  dint  of  urgent  entreaties  that  Robinson  suc 
ceeded  in  getting  back  the  ring  and  quieting  Trussing's 
insatiate  desire  for  information.  The  latter  was  one  of 


CLA  UDE  MELNOTTE  AS  A  DETECTIVE.          87 

the  men  who  always  "want  to  know,  you  know,"  and  was 
driven  to  the  verge  of  distraction  by  the  fact  that  Robin 
son  not  only  positively  refused  to  tell  him  anything,  but 
also  forbade  him  to  mention  the  subject  to  anyone  else. 

On  receiving  back  the  ring,  with  the  information  that  it 
was  one  of  the  articles  stolen  from  the  Clifton  House,  I 
was  fully  satisfied  of  Bright's  guilt.  It  was  evident  that 
he  had  stolen  the  ring  and  presented  it  to  Mamie  Listen. 

The  Prince  remained  in  his  room  most  of  the  day,  rest 
ing  from  the  fatigues  of  the  previous  evening.  On  going 
down  to  dinner,  he  met  Bright,  who  had  also  slept  all 
day,  part  of  the  time  at  Madam  Hatch's  and  part  in  his 
own  room. 

"  Didn't  we  have  a  fine  time  last  night?"  said  Bright. 
"  I  never  enjoyed  myself  more  in  my  life.  My  partner 
was  the  finest  woman  at  the  ball.  Over  fifty  gentlemen 
tried  to  get  her  to  unmask,  but  she  was  true  to  her  prom 
ise  to  me,  and  indignantly  spurned  them  all." 

The  Prince  listened  with  becoming  gravity  and  replied : 

"Yes,  she  seemed  to  be  a  lovely  woman.  She  is  a 
treasure  you  ought  to  appreciate." 

Bright  suddenly  recollected  his  depreciation  of  his 
partner's  personal  appearance  the  night  before,  and  has 
tened  to  change  the  subject. 

"By  the  way,"  he  said,  "are  you  going  to  remain  at 
home  all  the  evening  ?" 

"Yes,"  replied  the  Prince,  "  I  feel  too  tired  to  go  out." 

"Well,  I  am  going  down  to  Bill  Gardner's  to  have  a  lit 
tle  fun.  Won't  you  go  along?" 

"  I  think  not,"  said  the  Prince.     "  I  feel  much  fatigue." 

After  dinner  the  Prince  went  into  the  parlor,  where  he 
7 


88  PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

was  soon  surrounded  by  the  young  ladies,  who  requested 
him  to  describe  the  ball.  His  account  was  very  amusing 
and  witty,  especially  when  he  endeavored  to  give  accurate 
descriptions  of  the  various  dresses.  He  was  very  happy, 
however,  in  his  modes  of  expression,  and  achieved  a 
decided  success  in  his  representations  of  the  different 
characters.  He  also  drew  comparisons  between  this  ball 
and  some  masquerade  balls  which  he  had  attended  in 
Europe.  His  fair  audience  listened  in  mute  ecstacy,  and 
each  one  mentally  resolved  that  if  another  masked  ball 
were  given,  she  would  get  the  Prince  to  invite  her  to  go. 
They  thought  that  it  could  not  be  improper,  if  a  Prince 
could  go. 

At  the  first  opportunity,  the  Prince  left  the  parlor,  put 
on  his  hat  and  cloak  and  took  a  carriage  for  Madam 
Hatch's,  to  keep  his  appointment  with  Mamie  Listen. 
The  Madam  had  been  informed  of  his  intended  visit,  so 
that,  on  his  arrival,  she  conducted  him  immediately  to 
Mamie's  room.  In  doing  so,  she  led  him  through  both 
parlors  in  order  to  give  all  her  girls  a  chance  to  see  a 
"real  prince."  Mamie  had  told  them  his  rank,  so  that 
they  had  all  assembled  to  get  a  good  look  at  him  as  he 
passed. 

He  found  Mamie  awaiting  him  dressed  in  a  brown  silk, 
trimmed  with  a  quantity  of  fine  lace,  which  in  itself  was 
of  great  value ;  but  that  which  most  astonished  him  was, 
that  she  was  literally  almost  covered  with  jewelry. 
Wherever  she  could  fasten  a  jewel,  she  had  done  so, 
and  she  fairly  sparkled  in  the  gas-light.  From  the 
description  which  he  had  received,  he  was  able  to  recog 
nize  Mrs.  Beaver's  jewelry,  and  that  of  several  other 


CLAUDE  MELNOTTE  AS  A  DETECTIVE.         89 

boarders  in  the  Clifton  House.  He  remained  about  an 
hour  and  a  half,  and  on  leaving,  Mamie  swore  to  be  eter 
nally  true  to  him.  She  asked  for  the  ring  which  he  had 
taken,  since  she  was  afraid  that  Bright  would  miss  it, 
as  she  was  in  the  habit  of  wearing  it  constantly.  He, 
therefore,  returned  it,  but  promised  to  bring  her  a  larger 
and  finer  one  when  he  next  came. 

In  a  short  time  he  was  again  back  in  the  Clifton  House 
parlor,  singing  and  playing  for  his  admiring  body-guard 
of  ladies,  with  more  than  usual  tenderness  and  effect. 
Bright  stepped  up  to  him  for  an  instant  and  again  asked 
him  whether  he  would  not  like  to  go  to  Gardner's  gam 
bling-rooms,  but  the  Prince  declined.  He  walked  to  the 
door,  however,  and  chatted  with  Bright  for  a  moment,  as 
the  latter  went  out,  but  seeing  that  McCarthy  was  on 
hand,  the  Prince  returned  to  the  parlor.  McCarthy  fol 
lowed  Bright  to  the  gambling-rooms  and  there  left  him. 
I  had  stationed  one  of  my  men,  named  Oakley,  inside  of 
Gardner's  "  bank,"  and  McCarthy  knew  that  Oakley  would 
watch  Bright  for  the  rest  of  the  night.  Oakley  reported 
next  morning  that  Bright  had  played  desperately  all  night. 
At  first  he  had  won  a  great  deal,  but  when  he  returned  to 
the  Clifton  House  in  the  morning,  he  was  a  heavy  loser. 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

FOR  a  day  or  two  everything  went  quietly  at  the 
Clifton  House,  but  the  third  day  was  an  uncom 
monly  lively  one.  The  weather  was  very  windy  and 
snowy,  but  a  great  many  guests  arrived  at  intervals  during 
the  day,  and  the  clerks  were  kept  busy  in  showing  them 
to  their  rooms,  etc.  About  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon, 
the  second  clerk  entered  the  office  and  found  the  safe 
door  unlocked  and  standing  open.  He  had  been  called 
away  a  few  moments  before  and  had  merely  closed  the 
safe  door,  without  locking  it.  He  looked  hastily  into  the 
money  drawer  and  found  that  all  the  contents,  amounting 
to  over  two  hundred  dollars,  had  been  stolen.  There 
had  been  several  thousand  dollars  in  the  safe  that  after 
noon,  but  fortunately  it  had  been  deposited  in  bank  before 
three  o'clock. 

Nothing  was  said  about  the  loss  until  after  dinner, 
though  the  landlord  immediately  sent  for  me  and  for  the 
city  police.  In  less  than  half  an  hour  I  had  made  an 
inspection  of  the  office,  questioned  the  clerks,  and  learned 
all  there  was  to  be  learned.  While  I  was  so  engaged,  the 
city  police  also  came  in,  so  that  when  the  Prince  and 
other  boarders  came  down  to  dinner,  they  were  informed 
of  this  new  direction  to  the  thief's  efforts.  It  must  be 
acknowledged  that  the  landlord  received  little  sympathy. 
The  boarders  discussed  the  matter  at  dinner-table,  and 


CLA  UDE  MELNO TTE  AS  A  DETECTIVE.         91 

agreed  that,  now  that  the  landlord  himself  had  become  a 
sufferer,  he  might  possibly  succeed  in  protecting  them. 

In  this  connection  it  may  be  stated  that  the  landlord 
was,  certainly,  a  unique  specimen  of  the  hotel  proprietor. 
He  was  probably  as  capable  in  his  business  as  any  man 
in  the  country ;  hence  his  house  was  always  well  filled. 
But  he  was  as  independent  and  autocratic  in  his  ways  as 
the  Czar  of  all  the  Russias.  He  never  appeared  desi 
rous  to  conciliate  any  one,  and  the  threat  of  leaving  the 
house  had  no  effect  upon  him  whatever.  It  was  owing  to 
this  peculiarity  that  he  had  hitherto  allowed  the  boarders 
to  organize  for  their  own  protection,  instead  of  employing 
me,  or  some  other  detective,  himself. 

After  I  had  completed  my  investigation,  I  told  the 
landlord  that  I  did  not  see  what  I  could  do.  No  one  had 
been  seen  entering  or  leaving  the  office  ;  the  money  which 
had  been  in  the  safe  was  now  gone,  and  it  could  not  be 
identified  even  if  found.  It  was  a  case  of  mysterious 
disappearance ;  there  was  nothing  but  guess-work  to  go 
upon,  and  he  was  probably  just  as  good  a  guesser  as  I 
was. 

"Some  person  in  the  house  is  the  thief,"  he  said,  "and 
my  suspicions  point  to  the  servants  ;  I  should  like  to 
have  you  investigate  the  matter  fully." 

"  I  will  do  what  I  can,"  I  replied,  as  I  took  my 
departure,  "but  I  fear  it  will  be  very  little." 

Suspicion  had  settled  on  the  servants,  and  within  the 
next  three  days,  over  a  dozen  of  them  were  discharged. 
The  mere  possibility  of  having  taken  the  money  from  the 
safe  was  sufficient  to  cause  the  discharge  of  any  servant 
who  had  happened  to  be  anywhere  in  the  vicinity  of  the 


92  PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

office  that  afternoon.  It  certainly  was  very  unjust  treat 
ment,  since  a  discharge  under  such  circumstances  was 
equivalent  to  a  direct  accusation,  yet  the  accused  had  no 
opportunity  to  vindicate  themselves. 

Suspicion  —  how  I  hate  it!  I  never  act  upon  my  first 
impressions,  (though  they  have  generally  proved  correct,) 
until  I  have  collected  positive  proofs  of  guilt.  Now,  in 
this  case,  I  said  to  myself,  the  first  time  I  saw  Bright : 
"There  is  something  suspicious  about  that  young  man." 
I  never  stated  my  impressions  to  anyone,  however,  nor 
did  I  injure  his  reputation  in  any  way.  Even  when  I 
discovered  certain  facts  which  were  very  damaging  to  his 
good  character,  I  did  not  expose  him.  I  merely  kept  a 
close  watch  upon  him,  determined  to  obtain  a  positive 
proof  of  his  guilt  before  taking  any  steps  against  him. 

In  a  day  or  two  I  received  a  letter  from  Robert  Boyer, 
my  New  York  agent.  He  reported  that  Bright,  senior, 
was  at  the  head  of  a  large  dry-goods  house  there,  and 
that  he  was  reputed  to  be  a  millionaire.  His  family  con 
sisted  of  his  wife,  three  sons  and  two  daughters,  all  of 
whom,  (except  Edward,  who  was  in  Chicago,)  lived  with 
him  in  a  handsome  house  on  Fifth  avenue,  near  Thirty- 
second  street.  Edward  Bright  was  his  mother's  darling, 
but  he  was  said  to  be  very  dissipated  and  worthless. 
Lynch  had  been  put  at  work,  according  to  my  suggestion, 
and  as  soon  as  anything  further  was  discovered,  he  would 
write  to  me. 

Meanwhile  the  Prince  was  having  a  glorious  time.  He 
smoked  the  best  cigars,  drank  the  finest  liquors,  attended 
hops  and  parties,  played,  sang,  and  made  love  to  the 
young  ladies.  He  had  the  tact  to  distribute  his  atten 
tions  so  equally  that  he  could  not  be  accused  of  being 


CLA UDE  MELNO TTE  AS  A  DETECT! VE.          93 

devoted  to  one  lady;  and  in  this  way,  by  keeping  up  the 
interest  of  them  all,  he  remained  a  general  favorite. 
Whereas,  had  be  allowed  one  charmer  to  monopolize  his 
society,  all  the  others  would  have  been  so  indignant  as  to 
make  his  position  much  less  agreeable. 

Bright  was  his  most  intimate  companion,  spending 
many  hours  in  the  Prince's  society.  They  conversed 
a  great  deal  about  Germany,  and  Bright  was  never  tired 
of  listening  to  descriptions  of  the  beauties  of  the  Rhine. 
He  said  that  he  expected  to  go  to  Europe  soon,  himself, 
and  that  he  should  be  able  to  enjoy  the  tour  so  much 
more  from  having  heard  the  Prince's  charming  descrip 
tions. 

The  fifth  day  after  the  robbery  of  the  safe,  Mr.  Rem- 
brant,  of  the  firm  of  Rembrant  &  Co.,  dealers  in  Yankee 
notions,  discovered  that  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars 
had  been  stolen  from  his  trunk.  As  in  all  the  other 
cases,  there  was  absolutely  no  clue  to  the  manner  in 
which  the  money  had  been  taken.  It  had  disappeared, 
and  that  was  all  that  could  be  said.  In  this  instance,  even 
the  approximate  time  of  the  theft  was  unknown,  since  Mr. 
Rembrant  had  not  looked  at  his  money  for  several  days. 

These  continual  robberies  were  becoming  wholly 
unbearable,  and  the  committee  again  came  down  upon 
me  in  high  wrath.  They  gave  me  a  terrible  overhauling 
for  my  apparent  neglect  and  indifference. 

"We  want  to  know  what  you  are  doing,"  said  Mr. 
Henry.  "  I  can't  see  that  you  ever  come  to  the  house 
unless  you  are  sent  for,  and  then  you  go  away,  saying 
that  nothing  can  be  done.  You  told  us  at  first  that  you 
had  a  special  man  who  was  going  to  work  up  this  case, 


94  PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

but  we  havn't  seen  anything  of  him  yet.  Why  don't  you 
put  him  at  work  ?" 

"Yes,"  said  Mr.  Robinson,  who  was  very  bitter,  indeed; 
"we  have  suffered  enough  already;  why  don't  you 
acknowledge  that  the  case  is  beyond  your  capacity  and 
let  us  all  leave  the  hotel?  You  have  kept  us  in  suspense 
for  two  weeks>  and  every  time  there  is  a  new  robbery 
you  have  the  same  story  :  '  Keep  quiet,  gentlemen  ;  have 
patience/  It  won't  do,  Mr.  Pinkerton;  we  must  have 
some  evidence  that  this  state  of  things  will  not  continue 
all  winter.  If  your  man  is  at  work,  he  must  be  deceiving 
you,  or  else  he  is  very  stupid.  Neither  I  nor  any  other 
member  of  the  committee  has  ever  seen  him,  and  he  has 
never  asked  us  for  any  information  or  help." 

I  kept  my  temper  very  carefully,  though  I  am  not  usu 
ally  a  mild-spoken  man  when  anyone  attacks  me,  and 
told  them  that  I  felt  as  bad  as  if  the  losses  had  been  my 
own. 

I  found  that  Mr.  Beaver  had  been  particularly  savage 
in  his  remarks  about  me,  and  had  thus  conveyed  some 
of  his  irritation  to  the  committee.  He  had  said  that  he 
believed  I  was  a  great  braggart,  promising  much  and 
doing  little.  He  had  been  told  by  several  city  detectives 
that  I  was  an  interloper,  a  mere  amateur,  who  knew 
nothing  about  the  business. 

With  these  feelings  toward  me,  the  committee  were 
rather  a  difficult  body  to  reason  with;  but  I  finally  suc 
ceeded  in  pacifying  them  by  the  assurance  that  their 
property  and  money  would  be  forthcoming  in  a  few  days. 
To  tell  the  truth,  the  committee  had  a  pretty  hard  time 
during  those  few  days,  since  they  were  attacked  with 


CLAUDE  MELNOTTE  AS  A  DETECTIVE.         95 

almost  as  much  bitterness  as  if  they,  themselves,  had  been 
responsible  for  all  the  losses.  Under  these  circumstances, 
it  was  not  unnatural  that  they  should  have  wished  to  "  pass 
along  "  a  little  of  the  scolding  to  me. 

The  next  morning  I  received  a  letter  from  my  man, 
Lynch,  in  New  York.  He  had  become  acquainted  with 
Mr.  Bright's  servants,  and  had  taken  the  cook  to  the 
theatre.  The  cook  had  been  with  the  family  for  a  number 
of  years,  and  was  probably  well-informed  upon  all  their 
domestic  affairs.  He  had  invited  her  to  attend  a  ball  the 
next  evening,  when  he  hoped  to  be  able  to  learn  all  she 
knew  about  Ed.  Bright. 

For  several  days  all  went  quietly  again  at  the  Clifton 
House,  and  in  the  preparations  for  the  approaching 
Christmas  holidays  the  late  robberies  were  forgotten.  One 
afternoon  Mrs.  Winchester,  the  wife  of  a  very  wealthy 
iron  merchant,  returned  from  a  shopping  tour,  which  had 
occupied  her  nearly  all  day.  Having  spent  all  her  money 
in  buying  presents,  she  had  stopped  at  her  husband's 
office  just  before  returning  to  the  hotel,  and  had  obtained 
a  fresh  supply  of  cash  for  another  campaign  the  next  day. 
She  entered  her  room,  remaining  long  enough  to  remove 
her  outdoor  clothing,  and  then  hurried  into  a  neighbor's 
room  to  compare  purchases.  She  left  a  well- filled  pocket- 
book  lying  on  the  mantel-piece,  and  forgot  to  lock  her 
door,  as  she  expected  to  be  gone  only  a  few  minutes.  On 
returning,  in  less  than  half  an  hour,  she  gave  one  look  at 
the  mantel-piece,  and  then  screamed.  Her  friends  came 
rushing  in,  and  found  Mrs.  Winchester  in  a  state  of  col 
lapse  on  the  floor,  and  her  pocket-book  in  a  similar  con 
dition  on  the  mantel.  During  her  brief  absence,  over 


96  PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

three  hundred  dollars  had  been  taken  from  the  pocket- 
book,  leaving  it  gaping,  like  a  pair  of  shells  whence  the 
oyster  had  been  extracted. 

The  Prince  hurried  over  to  report  to  me.  He  said  that 
Mr.  Winchester  was  almost  wild  enough  to  need  a  straight- 
jacket.  He  had  sworn  at  everyone,  from  the  landlord 
down  to  the  bootblack,  and  had  wound  up  by  a  peculiarly 
charitable  and  Christian  imprecation  against  me  and  all 
other  detectives,  classing  us  either  as  knaves  or  fools  — 
or  both. 

The  Prince  said  that  the  boarders  had  held  a  meeting, 
and  most  of  them  had  decided  to  leave  the  house.  Bright 
had  said  that  he  should  start  soon  for  Memphis  and  New 
Orleans,  going  thence  to  Europe.  He  had  asked  the 
Prince  for  letters  of  introduction,  which  the  latter  had 
gladly  promised  to  give  him. 

The  number  of  letters  promised  by  the  Prince  was  so 
enormous  that  he  would  have  kept  a  private  secretary 
constantly  employed  in  the  work  of  writing  them  alone. 

The  late  mail  came  in  just  after  the  Prince's  departure, 
and  in  it  I  received  a  letter  from  Lynch.  He  had  taken 
Mr.  Bright's  cook  to  the  ball,  where  she,  good-natured 
soul,  possessed  of  plenty  of  wind  and  strength,  had  nearly 
danced  him  to  death.  Between  dances,  however,  he  had 
succeeded  in  drawing  out  a  great  deal  of  information 
about  the  young  man  in  Chicago.  Her  account,  condensed, 
was  as  follows : 

Ed.  Bright  was  his  mother's  favorite  child,  but  as  he 
grew  to  manhood,  he  became  so  wild  and  dissipated  as  to 
be  uncontrollable.  His  father,  at  last,  limited  hirjl  to  a 
certain  liberal  allowance,  to  which  his  fond  mother  added 


CLAUDE  MELNOTTE  AS  A  DETECTIVE.          97 

every  cent  of  her  own  pin-money  that  she  could  spare. 
The  young  man's  extravagant  habits  soon  used  up  all  her 
money  as  well  as  his  own,  and  finally,  he  forged  his  father's 
name  to  some  notes,  which  Mr.  Bright,  senior,  paid,  rather 
than  have  his  son  punished  for  the  crime.  The  young 
man  drank  heavily,  and  associated  openly  with  abandoned 
women,  so  that  it  had  been  necessary  to  send  him  away, 
to  save  the  rest  of  the  family  from  being  disgraced  by  him. 
Since  he  had  been  in  Chicago,  however,  from  all  accounts 
he  had  wholly  reformed,  and  his  letters  gave  great  joy  to 
his  parents.  He  frequently  expressed  deep  regret  at  his 
past  career,  and  a  determination  to  wipe  out  his  former 
record  by  a  blameless  life  in  the  future.  His  letters  had 
so  pleased  his  parents  that  his  father  had  decided  to  send 
him  to  Europe  for  a  couple  of  years,  and  then  take  him 
into  the  firm  as  a  partner. 

Truly,  'tis  a  wise  father  that  knoweth  his  own  son. 

I  sat  musing  over  Lynch's  letter  for  some  time,  arrang 
ing  my  plans.  I  then  sent  for  Mr.  Bangs,  and  had  a  long 
consultation  with  him  ;  our  decision  was  to  arrest  Bright 
at  the  first  opportunity.  The  time  to  act  had  arrived. 


CHAPTER    XV. 

TWO  days  passed  before  an  opportunity  occurred  to 
put  my  plan  in  operation  to  entrap  Bright.  The 
morning  of  the  third  day  was  ushered  in  with  one  of  those 
terrible  snow-storms  which  visit  Chicago  about  once  each 
winter,  accompanied  by  intense  cold.  The  temperature 
was  nearly  Arctic  in  its  severity,  and  the  cutting  prairie 
wind  rendered  it  dangerous  to  be  exposed  to  its  violence 
for  any  length  of  time.  The  snow  was  swept  about  in 
blinding  sheets,  lodging  in  every  sheltered  spot,  and  piling 
in  huge  drifts  wherever  the  various  air-currents  created 
eddies.  While  in  many  places  the  streets  and  sidewalks 
were  swept  quite  bare,  in  others,  the  snow  settled  in  nearly 
impassable  barriers.  Business  was  almost  wholly  sus 
pended,  and  very  few  persons  could  be  seen  about  the 
streets. 

Bright  and  the  Prince,  having  nothing  to  call  them  away 
from  the  hotel,  spent  the  day  very  comfortably  and  agree 
ably.  Little  cared  they  for  the  weather.  They  had  all 
the  requisites  for  amusement  within  doors,  and  they  en 
joyed  themselves  very  satisfactorily.  They  occupied  the 
forenoon  in  playing  billiards,  smoking,  drinking  egg-nog, 
and  talking  over  the  pleasures  of  their  contemplated  trip 
to  New  Orleans.  After  lunching  together,  they  retired  to 
the  smoking-room  for  a  quiet  smoke  and  chat. 

"Ah!  my  dear  Bright,"  said  the  Prince,  as  he  drew  a 


CLAUDE  MELNOTTE  AS  A  DETECTIVE.          99 

sofa  toward  the  grate,  "  your  drink,  which  you  call  egg- 
nog,  makes  me  much  sleepy.  Take  an  easy-chair,  your 
self  make  at  home,  and  I  the  same  will  do.  Will  you 
smoke?  Try  this  new  brand  which  I  opened  to-day." 
And  he  handed  his  pocket-book  to  Bright. 

Bright  took  it,  and  on  opening  it  quickly,  saw  that  there 
was  a  large  sum  of  money  inside.  He  closed  it  immedi 
ately  and  handed  it  back,  saying,  with  a  short,  nervous 
laugh : 

"  You're  pretty  careless  of  your  money,  Prince.  This 
is  your  pocket-book,  not  your  cigar-case." 

"  Oh !  pardon  me,"  said  the  Prince ;  "  they  are  so 
exactly  alike  that  I  do  often  that  error  make." 

He  then  replaced  his  pocket-book  in  his  coat,  and 
handed  the  cigar-case  to  Bright.  They  each  lit  a  cigar, 
and  talked  listlessly  for  a  short  time  as  they  smoked.  Fi 
nally,  the  Prince  said : 

"  Your  pardon  I  will  ask  in  advance,  mein  freund,  if  I 
to  sleep  should  go.  Your  egg-nog  to  my  head  has  surely 
gone." 

"  Oh  !  that's  all  right,"  said  Bright.  "I  will  finish  my 
cigar  here,  and  then  I  have  an  engagement  to  play  a  match 
game  of  billiards,  so  that  I  shall  be  obliged  to  go  out  soon, 
anyhow." 

"Well,  I  shall  see  you  at  dinner,"  replied  the  Prince,  as 
he  settled  himself  for  a  nap. 

Very  soon  the  quiet  and  warmth  of  the  room  began  to 
have  their  effect  upon  the  drowsy  Prince  ;  his  breathing 
became  regular  and  slow,  and  he  passed  into  a  sound  sleep. 
Bright  continued  smoking  in  a  rapid,  excited  manner,  and 
then  went  to  the  door  to  look  out  into  the  hall.  As  he 


100          PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

did  so,  the  Prince  moved  restlessly  in  his  sleep,  and  then 
turned  over  partly,  on  his  side.  His  coat  fell  open  as  he 
moved,  exposing  the  inside  pocket,  from  which  protruded 
his  pocket-book.  As  Bright  returned  to  his  seat,  his  gaze 
was  riveted  on  this  pocket-book,  which  he  knew  contained 
a  large  sum  of  money. 

The  Prince's  sleep  was  now  evidently  very  sound,  and 
his  position,  comfortable.  There  was  no  probability  that 
he  would  awake  for  some  time.  Bright  again  stepped  to 
the  door,  looked  down  the  hall  and  glanced  into  the  read 
ing-room  and  parlors,  but  saw  no  one  near.  He  then 
cautiously  approached  the  Prince,  but  sprang  back,  with 
a  terrified  look,  as  he  heard  a  distant  door  slam  heavily. 
Having  satisfied  himself  a  second  time  that  he  was  not 
watched,  he-darted  quickly  to  the  Prince's  side,  seized  the 
pocket-book  between  his  finger  and  thumb,  and  dextrously 
pulled  it  from  the  pocket.  He  paused  a  moment  to  see 
whether  the  Prince  had  been  disturbed,  and  then  left  the 
room.  In  a  few  minutes  he  returned,  and  finding  the 
Prince  still  asleep,  he  carefully  replaced  the  pocket-book 
in  the  loose,  open  pocket,  whence  he  had  taken  it.  He 
then  passed  from  the  room.  The  deed  was  done,  the  bait 
had  been  taken,  and  it  now  remained  only  to  close  the 
trap. 

The  reader  will  now  see  where  I  made  my  point. 

The  Prince  remained  in  his  comfortable  position  until 
he  was  sure  that  Bright  had  gone  away,  and  then  arose, 
with  an  expression  the  very  reverse  of  sleepy.  He  imme 
diately  put  on  his  fur  cap  and  overcoat,  and  hurried  to 
my  office.  Those  who  saw  him  go  out  thought  it  was  a 
freak,  such  as  often  takes  a  traveler,  to  see  how  severe  the 


CLA  UDE  MELNO TTE  AS  A  DE  TE C 1 7  VE.        101 

weather  actually  was;  and  as  he  struggled  against  the 
wind,  or  plunged  through  snow-drifts,  he  was  probably 
undergoing  an  experience  which  he  would  be  able  to  relate 
on  his  return  to  Bavaria,  as  an  instance  of  the  climate  of 
the  United  States. 

I  had  not  been  out  during  the  day,  so  that  I  received 
the  Prince's  report  immediately  on  his  arrival.  He  related 
all  the  circumstances  of  the  theft,  and  handed  me  the 
pocket-book.  On  examining  it,  I  discovered  that  three 
marked  bills  of  fifty  dollars  each,  and  two  of  one  hundred 
dollars  each,  were  missing,  leaving  about  two  hundred 
dollars  still  in  the  pocket-book. 

"  Now,"  I  said,  "  Bright's  career  is  ended.  The  game 
is  up." 

I  called  Mr.  Bangs  into  my  office  and  gave  him  direc 
tions  as  to  what  I  wished  done.  I  then  told  the  Prince 
to  return  to  the  Clifton  House. 

"  I  shall  place  men  around  the  hotel  to  watch,"  I  said, 
"and  shall  be  there  myself  within  an  hour.  You  must 
keep  a  lookout  for  me,  and  when  I  pass  under  the  gas- 
lamp,  you  must  come  to  meet  me.  It  is  such  a  stormy 
night  that  we  shall  run  little  risk  of  being  seen.  If  Bright 
is  not  in,  I  shall  wait  until  he  comes.  I  wish  to  arrest 
him  quietly,  and  hence  should  prefer  to  see  him  alone.  If 
that  is  impossible,  however,  I  will  arrest  him  publicly, 
before  all  his  friends." 

It  was  now  after  four  o'clock,  and  owing  to  the  darkness 
of  the  storm,  the  gas-lamps  were  already  lighted.  The 
Prince  started  off,  and  I  concluded  my  arrangements  with 
Bangs.  The  latter,  with  three  detectives,  was  to  watch 
the  house,  so  as  to  arrest  Bright,  if  he  should  receive  any 


tftX  FINKEF  TON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

warning  ^.nd  endeavor  to  escape.  I  intended  to  make  the 
arrest  myself,  however,  if  I  could.  Bangs  soon  departed 
with  his  men,  and  I  followed  him  in  a  short  time. 

It  was,  indeed,  a  terrible  night.  The  wind  blew  with 
frantic  violence,  eddying  about  among  the  buildings  in 
such  a  way  as  to  seem  always  blowing  in  my  face.  The 
frozen  snow-flakes  cut  like  a  knife,  and  almost  blinded  me 
as  I  struggled  along  through  the  drifts. 

"  That  night  a  chiel  might  understand 
The  deil  had  business  on  his  hand." 

At  length  I  reached  the  corner  opposite  the  Clifton 
House.  I  had  not  stood  long  under  the  lamp-post  ere  I 
saw  the  Prince  coming  to  meet  me. 

"  It's  all  right,"  he  said.  "  Bright  is  alone  in  the  parlor, 
playing  and  singing.  The  ladies  have  all  gone  to  dress 
for  dinner,  and  now  is  the  best  time  to  see  him." 

I  wore  a  slouch  hat  and  a  large  muffler  which  wholly 
concealed  my  features.  One  hand  was  protected  by  a 
warm  glove,  while  the  other  was  bare,  as  I  might  have  to 
use  force.  I  noiselessly  slipped  into  the  hall  by  the  main 
entrance.  No  one  was  in  sight,  and  I  quickly  entered  the 
parlor.  There,  at  the  piano,  with  his  back  turned  toward 
me,  was  Bright,  the  object  of  my  visit. 

The  gas  was  turned  down  low,  but,  in  the  dim  light,  he 
was  running  his  fingers  over  the  piano  keys,  giving  vent 
to  his  happiness  in  song.  He  was,  undoubtedly  enjoying 
very  pleasant  thoughts.  He  was  picturing  to  himself  the 
prospective  delights  of  his  southern  tour. 

In  a  few  days,  with  Mamie  Listen  on  his  arm,  he  would 
leave  this  frigid  climate  of  Chicago  and  revel  in  the  balmy 


CLAUDE  MELNOTTE  AS  A  DETECTIVE.        103 

atmosphere  of  the  South.  They  would  sit  in  the  open  air 
beneath  magnolias  and  orange  trees,  while  the  soft  breezes 
would  come  to  them  over  fragrant  fields  and  groves,sweet- 
scented  with  perfume,  and  laden  with  the  songs  of  birds. 
Then,  when  they  should  have  become  satiated  with  these 
scenes,  they  would  embark  for  Europe,  where  Bright  would 
make  the  acquaintance  of  Prince  Beauharnais  and  many 
others  of  the  nobility.  What  a  splendid  opportunity  he 
would  then  have  to  replenish  his  purse  at  the  expense  of 
the  titled  aristocracy  of  the  Old  World  !  Only  a  few 
hours  previous,  he  had  proved  how  easy  it  was  to  rob  a 
careless  prince,  who  scarcely  knew  how  much  money  he 
had.  Oh  !  how  he  would  thrive  when  he  got  into  a  com 
munity  of  such  fellows ! 

He  little  imagined  that  Nemesis  was  already  at  his  elbow. 
As  I  crossed  the  room,  the  velvet  carpet  gave  back  no 
sound  of  my  foot-fall,  and  in  a  second  I  was  at  his  side. 
Laying  my  hand  on  his  shoulder,  I  said,  in  a  low,  stern 
voice : 

"  You  are  my  prisoner." 

He  sprang  from  his  seat  with  a  gasp  of  terror,  but  my 
hand  was  on  his  shoulder  with  a  grasp  of  iron.  Abject 
fear  was  depicted  in  every  line  of  his  face,  and  he  could 
not  speak. 

"Come  with  me,"  I  said. 

"  I  don't  know  you,"  he  replied,  convulsively.  "  For 
God's  sake,  who  are  you,  and  what  do  you  want?  " 

"  I  want  that  money  you  stole  to-day,"  was  my  answer. 

"  I  never  stole  any  money,"  he  said,  in  a  low,  trem 
bling  tone. 

"  Let  me  have  that  money/'  I  repeated,  in  a  determined 
8 


104  PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

voice.  "  Will  you  give  it  up,  or  shall  I  take  it  from  you  ? 
I  must  have  it.  Do  you  wish  to  be  disgraced  before  all 
the  boarders?  Give  me  the  money  immediately." 

He  made  no  move  to  get  it,  so  I  put  my  hand  into  his 
pocket  and  took  out  his  pocket-book,  which  was  full  of 
bills.  I  opened  it,  and  there,  like  the  blood  on  Macbeth's 
dagger,  I  saw  the  fatal  mark  on  the  bank-notes. 

"  Where  did  you  get  this  money,  and  how  long  have  you 
had  it  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  My  father  sent  it  to  me,  and  I  have  had  it  more  than 
three  weeks,"  he  replied. 

"Pshaw,  man,  I  know  better,"  said  I.  "This  money 
has  not  been  in  your  possession  for  three  hours.  You 
stole  it  this  afternoon  from  the  Prince's  pocket-book." 

The  bold  manner  in  which  I  made  this  charge  com 
pletely  unnerved  him.  It  was  not  alone  the  sense  of  guilt 
which  overpowered  him,  but,  also,  the  astounding  fact  that 
I,  a  perfect  stranger  to  him,  should  know  what  even  the 
Prince,  himself,  did  not  seem  to  have  discovered. 

"  My  God !  "  he  exclaimed,  completely  thrown  off  his 
guard,  "  how  did  you  know  that  ?  " 

"  Never  mind  how  I  know  it  —  it  is  enough  that  I  do. 
Now,  don't  stand  talking  here,  or  the  whole  house  will 
know  that  Bright  is  a  thief.  Come  with  me,  and  I  may 
save  your  reputation,  yet,"  said  I,  putting  his  pocket-book 
into  my  pocket. 

I  heard  the  rustle  of  dresses  coming  down  the  stairs, 
and  I  grasped  his  hand. 

"  Quick  !  "  said  I ;  "  come  this  way." 

He  hurried  with  me  to  the  door  leading  into  the  back 
hall,  and  just  as  I  passed  out  of  the  parlor,  the  porter, 


CLAUDE  MELNOTTE  AS  A  DETECTIVE.        105 

carrying  a  hod  of  coal,  entered  the  room  by  the  door  at 
the  other  end.  Following  him,  came  a  number  of  ladies, 
so  that  our  escape  was  made  just  in  time. 

As  I  conducted  Bright  toward  the  front  door,  I  asked 
him  where  he  had  left  his  coat  and  hat.  He  pointed  them 
out  to  me  on  the  coat-rack,  and  I  quickly  grabbed  them 
as  I  passed.  On  reaching  the  vestibule,  I  stopped  long 
enough  to  enable  him  to  put  his  overcoat  on,  and  we  then 
passed  out  into  the  storm,  without  having  been  seen  by  a 
single  person.  I  locked  arms  securely  with  him,  and  led 
him,  through  the  storm  and  darkness,  to  my  office,  Bangs 
and  his  men  keeping  within  a  few  paces  all  the  way. 


CHAPTER     XVI. 

NOT  a  word  was  spoken  as  we  pressed  on  through  the 
storm,  and  we  entered  my  office  rather  breathless 
from  our  exertions  in  climbing  through  the  snow-drifts.  I 
took  off  my  coat  and  hung  it  up.  Bright  mechanically  fol 
lowed  my  example,  and  then  asked  for  a  glass  of  water.  He 
gulped  down  the  water,  threw  himself  into  a  chair  and 
buried  his  face  in  his  hands.  I  left  him  to  himself  for  a 
time,  in  order  to  let  him  realize  the  gravity  of  his  offences. 
I  was  the  first  to  speak,  as  I  wished  to  pour  upon  him  the 
whole  misery  of  his  situation  at  once. 

"  Bright,  do  you  begin  to  appreciate  the  terrible  position 
in  which  you  have  placed  yourself?"  I  asked.  "  How 
many  robberies  of  money,  jewelry,  etc.,  have  you  com 
mitted  ?  You  are  but  a  young  man  in  years,  yet  you  are 
already  old  in  crime.  Your  parents  are  wealthy,  and  you 
could  honestly  command  any  luxury  you  wished,  yet  you 
h#ve  resorted  to  stealing  to  supply  yourself  with  money. 
What  excuse  can  you  offer  ?  Why  have  you  done  so  ? 
The  man  who  steals  to  keep  body  and  soul  together — to 
save  himself  from  starvation — is  to  be  pitied,  rather  than 
condemned;  but  for  you,  there  is  no  excuse.  In  order 
to  gratify  your  merely  animal  desires,  you  have  robbed 
your  friends — not  once,  only,  but  forty  or  fifty  times. 
Think,  for  a  moment,  of  your  mother's  unspeakable 
agony  when  she  hears  of  this." 


CLAUDE  MELNOTTE  AS  A  DETECTIVE.         107 

Bright  had  recovered  his  composure  by  this  time,  and 
he  now  spoke  up,  in  a  dogged  manner : 

"  You're  a  stranger  to  me.  I  don't  know  you,  nor  you 
me.  How  dare  you  accuse  me  of  stealing  ?  You  are  the 
thief.  You  have  taken  my  money  from  me  and  have  put 
it  in  your  pocket.  Tell  me  what  all  this  means." 

"  You  say  this  money  is  yours,  do  you  ?  Well,  let  us 
see,"  I  replied,  taking  the  pocket-book  from  my  pocket. 
"  I  do  not  rely  on  my  own  evidence  alone,  to  convict  you, 
but  I  have,  also,  that  of  the  well-known  banker,  Mr.  R. 
K.  Swift,  who  will  prove  that  he  gave  me  these  bills  only 
yesterday.  I  have  not  had  any  opportunity  to  mark  them 
since  I  took  them  from  you,  but,  on  the  bills  which  belong 
to  me,  will  be  found  the  letter  P,  plainly  marked  in  red 
ink  on  the  upper  left-hand  corner." 

As  I  spoke  I  took  out  the  bills,  unrolled  them,  and 
showed  him  the  mark  on  five  of  them. 

"  Bright,  is  this  money  yours  or  mine  ?"  I  asked. 

"  Yours — I  am  guilty,"  he  answered,  his  voice  breaking 
into  a  sob,  as  he  spoke.  "  Oh !  for  God's  sake,  have  mercy 
on  me  !" 

"Yes,  Bright,  I  thought  it  would  come  to  this,"  I  said. 
"  Think,  for  a  moment,  upon  your  position.  For  every 
one  of  your  crimes  the  penalty  is  a  long  term  of  impris 
onment  at  hard  labor  in  the  penitentiary.  How  many 
robberies  have  you  committed?" 

"  I  don't  know  how  many.  I  have  been  stealing  for  a 
long  time.  I  don't  know  what  to  do  or  say.  I  am  crazy ! 
What  will  my  poor  mother  say  when  she  hears  of  this  ? 
Oh!  God!  this  is  horrible!" 

"Did  you  steal  Mr.  Robinson's  money?"  I  asked. 


108  PINKER  TON 'S  DE  TECTI VE  S  TORIES. 

"  Yes." 

"  Mrs.  Judson's  watch  and  money?" 

"Yes." 

"  Mrs.  Blackall's  money,  and  Mrs.  Hutchinson's  ?" 

"Yes." 

"  Mrs.  Beaver's  money  and  jewelry  ?" 

"Yes." 

In  this  way  I  went  through  the  whole  list  of  robberies 
as  far  as  I  could  remember  them,  and  he  acknowledged 
having  committed  them  all. 

"  Now,  you  see  where  you  have  placed  yourself,"  I  said. 
"  I  will  give  you  until  to-morrow  morning  to  rest  and  calm 
yourself;  you  must  then  make  out  a  list  of  the  parties  you 
have  robbed,  and  the  amounts  taken  from  each.  What 
shall  I  do  with  you  ?  Do  you  think  your  father  would 
pay  back  all  these  losses  to  the  people  whom  you  have 
robbed?" 

"  Oh !  yes  ;  and  if  he  would  not,  mother  would.  I  have 
been  deceiving  them  terribly  ever  since  I  have  been  here, 
by  reports  of  how  well  I  was  getting  along,  while,  in  fact, 
I  have  been  growing  worse  and  worse.  Father  can  and 
will  pay  back  every  cent  I  have  taken,  if  I  will  only  swear 
to  reform.  Oh !  why  was  I  not  detected  in  the  first  rob 
bery  I  ever  attempted  ?  Then  I  should  have  been  spared 
this  ;  but  I  succeeded  so  well  that  I  went  on,  and  every 
new  success  encouraged  me  to  continue,  and  now  my 
whole  life  will  be  blasted  by  a  long  term  in  the  peniten 
tiary.  Won't  you  please  telegraph  to  my  father  and  see 
what  he  will  do?" 

After  thinking  over  the  matter,  I  said : 

"  I  will  telegraph  to  my  New  York  agent,  Robert  Boyer, 


CLAUDE  MELNOTTE  AS  A  DETECTIVE.        109 

and  you  can  telegraph  to  your  father.  Say  that  you  are 
in  trouble,  and  that  a  gentleman,  named  Robert  Boyer, 
will  call  upon  him  and  explain  all." 

Bright  immediately  seized  a  pen  and  wrote  a  dispatch 
to  his  father,  while  I  wrote  one  as  follows : 

"  ROBERT  BOYER,  White  street,  New  York  : 

"  I  have  arrested  Ed.  Bright  for  larcenies  committed  at 
various  times  in  the  Clifton  House.  He  has  been  operat 
ing  for  nine  or  ten  months.  He  admits  all.  The  pool 
amounts  to  nearly  nine  thousand  dollars.  See  Bright, 
senior,  and  find  out  what  he  intends  to  do.  Tell  Lynch 
to  drop  his  calls  on  the  cook  and  send  his  bill  to  me. 

"  ALLAN  PINKERTON." 

I  read  the  dispatch  to  Bright  and  he  expressed  himself 
satisfied  with  it.  I  then  showed  him  to  a  spare  bed-room, 
which  I  kept  in  connection  with  my  suite  of  offices,  and 
left  him  to  pass  the  night.  Two  of  my  men  alternated  in 
watching  him,  and  I  felt  convinced  that  there  would  be 
no  more  startling  robberies  at  the  Clifton  House  for  some 
time  at  least. 


CHAPTER    XVII. 

THE  Prince  passed  the  evening  at  the  hotel,  as  it  was 
altogether  too  stormy  to  go  out.  He  had,  as  usual, 
a  most  agreeable  time.  Knowing  that  his  princely  career 
was  now  rapidly  drawing  to  a  close,  he  made  the  most 
of  his  opportunities,  and  played,  sang,  and  flirted  most 
enchantingly.  Bright's  absence  was  not  considered 
strange,  as  it  was  supposed  that  he  had  gone  to  visit 
some  friend  and  had  been  weatherbound  by  the  storm. 
Of  course  there  was  no  longer  any  actual  necessity  of 
retaining  the  Prince  at  the  hotel,  but  I  thought  best  to 
keep  him  there  at  least  a  week  longer,  so  that  the  part  he 
had  played  should  not  be  suspected. 

The  next  morning  I  had  a  long  talk  with  Bright.  I 
asked  him  what  he  had  done  with  the  jewelry  he  had 
stolen.  He  said  that  he  had  disposed  of  it  at  various 
pawnbroker's  shops.  On  pressing  him  to  tell  me  what 
shops  had  bought  the  articles,  he  was  unable  to  answer. 

"Young  man,"  I  said,  "don't  you  know  that  it  is  impos 
sible  to  take  a  middle  course  with  me  ?  If  you  wish  to 
be  saved  from  exposure  and  the  rigors  of  the  law,  you 
must  make  up  your  mind  to  tell  the  truth,  the  whole 
truth,  and  nothing  but  the  truth.  What  have  you  done 
with  the  stolen  jewelry?" 

He  finally  admitted  that  he  had  given  it  all  to  a  girl 
named  Mamie  Listen,  whom  he  had  been  keeping  at 


CLAUDE  MELNOTTE  AS  A  DETECTIVE.        Ill 

Madam  Hatch's.  I  did  not  consider  it  necessary  to  let 
him  know  that  I  was  fully  aware  of  this  fact  in  advance, 
but  made  him  confess  the  whole  story  himself.  My 
object  was  to  prevent  him  from  suspecting  either  the 
Prince  or  Madam  Hatch. 

"  Now,"  said  I,  when  he  had  told  me  about  Mamie 
Listen,  "sit  down  and  write  an  order  for  this  girl  to 
deliver  all  the  jewelry  to  me." 

"  No,"  he  replied,  "  I  don't  wish  to  take  the  things  from 
Mamie;  my  father  will  pay  the  full  value  of  everything." 

"That  won't  do,"  said  I.  "It  would  be  wrong  to  rob 
your  father  to  benefit  your  mistress.  Besides,  among  the 
articles  you  have  stolen  are  many  heir-looms  and  keep 
sakes  which  the  owners  value  far  above  any  amount  of 
money.  I  must  have  the  identical  articles  themselves. 
If  you  will  not  give  me  the  order,  I  shall  arrest  Mamie  as 
a  receiver  of  stolen  goods.  She  will  be  sent  to  prison, 
and  I  shall  get  the  jewelry  by  force." 

Bright  did  not  wish  her  to  be  molested,  and  therefore 
wrote  the  order  at  my  dictation.  I  immediately  went  to 
Madam  Hatch's  and  had  an  interview  with  Mamie.  At 
first  she  was  inclined  to  disregard  Bright's  order,  but  I 
soon  succeeded  in  convincing  her  that  she  would  not  be 
able  to  offer  any  resistance,  so  she  collected  all  the  jew 
elry  in  a  good-sized  pile,  tied  it  up  in  a  handkerchief, 
and  burst  into  tears  as  she  saw  me  about  to  depart  with 
it.  I  told  her  that  I  wished  no  one  to  know  of  Bright's 
trouble,  and  she  had  the  two  alternatives  of  keeping 
quiet,  thus  saving  them  both  from  a  criminal  trial,  or  of 
making  it  public  and  being  prosecuted  as  a  receiver  of 
stolen  goods,  knowing  them  to  have  been  stolen.  She 


112  PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

promised  to  keep  the  matter  secret,  and  I  returned  to  my 
office  with  the  jewelry. 

During  the  day  I  received  a  telegram  from  Robert 
Boyer.  He  said  that  he  had  called  on  Mr.  Bright,  whom 
he  had  found  completely  broken  down  by  the  shock  which 
his  son's  dispatch  had  given  him.  Mr.  Bright  begged 
that  the  matter  might  be  kept  secret,  since  if  Mrs.  Bright 
should  hear  that  Ed.  had  become  a  thief,  it  would  break 
her  heart.  He  would  send  Mr.  Young,  his  confidential 
secretary,  to  Chicago  to  settle  up  all  the  losses.  The 
latter  would  have  authority  to  draw  upon  Mr.  Bright  for 
the  amount  of  money  necessary  to  reimburse  the  persons 
who  had  been  robbed.  Mr.  Young  would  leave  that 
night  for  Chicago,  and  would  call  upon  me  as  soon  as  he 
arrived. 

Until  Mr.  Young's  arrival,  however,  I  was  obliged  to 
keep  Bright  a  close  prisoner  at  my  office,  and  as  the 
snow-storm  somewhat  interfered  with  the  railroads,  Mr. 
Young  did  not  reach  Chicago  until  the  third  day  after  the 
arrest.  On  coming  to  my  office,  Mr.  Young  introduced 
himself  to  me  and  showed  his  authority  from  Mr.  Bright 
to  act  in  the  matter.  He  requested  to  see  Ed.  Bright, 
and  I  at  once  showed  him  up  to  the  latter's  room.  As 
soon  as  Mr.  Young  entered,  Bright  burst  into  tears,  and  I 
left  them  alone  for  some  time,  not  caring  to  be  a  witness 
of  the  painful  scene. 

I  had  never  known  the  exact  amount  of  money  and 
property  stolen  by  Bright,  so  I  sent  for  Mr.  Robinson  and 
asked  him  to  furnish  me  with  a  complete  list  of  the  losses 
in  the  Clifton  House,  and  I  would  see  what  could  be  done 
toward  settling  with  the  losers. 


CLAUDE  MELNOTTE  AS  A  DETECTIVE,        113 

Mr.  Robinson  was  struck  dumb  with  surprise,  but  soon 
found  his  voice,  and,  in  great  excitement,  wished  to  know 
whether  I  had  caught  the  thief. 

"That  is  not  likely,"  I  replied,  "but  I  wish  to  find  out 
how  much  it  will  take  to  settle  the  matter  if  I  do  find  him 
or  her.  Therefore,  get  me  the  list,  and  I  will  see  what  I 
can  do.  Put  in  everything  —  shirts,  underwear,  jewelry, 
money  —  every  article,  in  fact,  that  was  stolen." 

"But  you  don't  expect  to  recover  the  jewelry?"  he 
asked. 

"  No,  I  don't  expect  any  thing,  but  get  me  the  list,  and  I 
will  see  what  can  be  done,"  I  replied. 

Mr.  Robinson  returned  to  the  Clifton  House  and  soon 
set  the  boarders  at  work  making  out  a  list  of  their  losses. 
I  had  to  smile  when  I  saw  Mr.  Beaver's  list,  as  he  had 
placed  the  most  enormous  prices  on  every  article  of  jew 
elry  he  had  lost.  I  said  nothing,  however,  as  I  had  the 
very  jewelry  which  was  stolen,  ready  to  return  to  him. 

When  Mr.  Robinson  brought  his  list,  I  deducted  from 
it  the  jewelry  I  had  on  hand,  and  added  a  fair  amount 
for  my  time  and  expenses  in  working  up  the  case.  Mr. 
Young  at  once  drew  upon  Mr.  Bright,  senior,  for  the 
amount,  and  as  he  and  Ed.  wended  their  way  to  the 
depot,  en  route  for  New  York,  I  took  the  draft  to  Mr. 
Swift's  bank  and  had  it  placed  to  my  credit. 

Ed.  Bright  sailed  for  England  a  few  days  later,  since 
which  time  I  have  heard  nothing  of  him. 

I  was  influenced  in  my  course  in  allowing  him  to  escape 
prosecution,  by  the  fact  that  it  was  his  first  serious  crime, 
and  I  was  convinced  that  it  would  be  his  last.  If  I  had 
given  him  up  to  the  authorities,  he  would  have  had  to 


114  PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

serve  at  least  twenty  years  in  the  penitentiary,  which 
punishment,  though  deserved,  I  did  not  have  the  heart  to 
see  meted  out  to  him.  I  knew  I  had  no  right  to  com 
pound  a  felony,  but  I  felt  that  I  could  better  serve  the 
interests  of  society  by  giving  this  young  man  a  chance  to 
reform,  than  by  delivering  him  up  to  a  long  term  in 
prison,  whence  he  would  come  out  a  hardened  villain  — 
his  hand  turned  against  every  man,  and  every  man's 
hand  against  him.  Mr.  Bright,  senior,  has  called  upon 
me  several  times  since,  and  he  always  has  expressed  the 
Warmest  gratitude  for  the  great  good  I  did  his  family. 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 

ON  my  return  to  my  office  from  the  bank,  I  sent  for 
Mr.  Robinson,  handed  him  his  money  and  jewelry, 
and  had  him  sign  a  receipt  which  I  had  prepared.  He 
was  all  amazement,  and  I  believe  he  would  willingly  have 
given  back  his  recovered  money  to  have  had  his  curiosity 
satisfied  as  to  who  was  the  thief.  But,  on  this  point,  I 
was  impervious  to  all  inquiries,  and  no  amount  of  sharp 
questions  could  draw  from  me  the  least  drop  of  informa 
tion.  I  told  him  to  return  to  the  hotel  and  send  the  per 
sons  who  had  been  robbed  to  me,  and  I  would  pay  them 
in  full  for  all  their  losses. 

Merry  Christmas  had  just  passed,  but,  I  must  say,  I 
never  have  felt  more  like  a  genuine  Santa  Glaus  than  I 
did  then.  I  was  seated  behind  my  desk  with  a  pile  of 
money  on  one  side,  little  heaps  of  jewelry,  sorted  out 
and  labeled,  on  the  other,  and  before  me  a  long  list  of 
names  and  amounts.  During  the  afternoon,  my  office 
was  crowded  with  visitors,  and  I  was  kept  busy  in  dealing 
out  the  treasure  before  me  and  taking  receipts. 

Every  few  minutes  there  would  be  a  perfect  chorus,  the 
ladies'  voices  predominating : 

"But,  Mr.  Pinkerton,  who  is  the  thief?" 

I  answered  them  from  Tennyson : 

"  Theirs  not  to  reason  why — 
Theirs  not  to  make  reply" — 


116          PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

All  they  had  to  do  was  to  take  their  money  and  sign 
the  receipt. 

My  visitors,  in  fact,  were  little  more  than  a  crowd  of 
animated  interrogation  marks,  and  the  number  of  ques 
tions  showered  upon  me  would  have  tried  the  patience  of 
even  Job  himself. 

Nearly  all  of  them  wished  to  reward  me  for  my  trouble, 
but  I  refused  to  take  anything  whatever.  Mr.  Beaver 
called,  amongst  the  rest,  and  when  I  handed  him  his  own 
jewelry,  he  seemed  to  feel  decidedly  cheap,  after  having 
placed  such  an  enormous  valuation  on  it.  He  lost  all  his 
volubility,  and  slunk  out  of  the  office  without  a  word.  I 
was  not  sorry  when  the  last  visitor  had  received  his  prop 
erty  and  departed. 

I  have  now  only  to  relate  the  occurrences  at  the  Clifton 
'House,  from  the  time  of  Bright's  arrest  until  the  close  of 
the  engagement  of  my  ex-janitor  in  his  great  role  of 
Claude  Melnotte. 

All  went  along  smoothly  with  the  Prince.  There  was 
not  a  beauty  in  the  house  who  did  not  worship  at  his 
shrine,  and  I  am  not  exaggerating  when  I  say  that  he 
could  have  married  any  young  lady  in  that  set,  had  he  so 
desired. 

Even  he  was,  for  a  time,  lost  sight  of  in  the  excitement 
caused  by  the  mysterious  disappearance  of  Bright.  The 
day  following  the  arrest,  many  inquiries  were  made  as  to 
what  had  become  of  him.  Nothing  wrong  was  suspected, 
however,  as  it  was  thought  that  he  might  be  visiting  some 
of  his  friends,  but  when  another  day  passed  and  still  no 
Bright  appeared,  the  boarders  began  to  work  themselves 
up  to  a  great  pitch  of  excitement. 


CLAUDE  MELNOTTE  AS  A  DETECTIVE.        117 

Some  of  the  ladies  had  heard  him  singing  in  the  parlor, 
about  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  the  day  on  which 
he  was  missed,  but  on  going  into  the  room  soon  after, 
they  had  seen  only  a  shadow  flitting  out  of  the  doorway. 
The  porter  had  entered  the  room  at  the  same  time  and  he 
was  sure  he  had  seen  a  strange  and  uncouth  figure  van 
ishing  through  the  door.  No  one,  however,  had  seen  Bright. 
The  servants,  on  the  strength  of  the  porter's  story,  went 
a  step  farther  and  declared,  with  superstitious  earnest 
ness,  that  he  had  been  spirited  away  by  some  supernat 
ural  power — possibly  the  devil. 

Some  one  stated  that  Bright  had  been  seen  plowing  his 
way  through  the  drifts  toward  Rush  street  bridge,  late  at 
night ;  it  was,  therefore,  probable  that,  confused  by  the 
blinding  storm,  he  had  walked  into  the  river  and  drowned. 
/  never  was  able  to  learn  who  started  this  story,  but  it  was 
accepted  with  great  readiness  as  a  solution  of  his  myste 
rious  disappearance.  Bright  had  been  a  great  favorite 
among  the  boarders,  so  that  his  sudden  loss  cast  a  gloom 
over  the  house.  His  friends  inserted  advertisements  in 
the  papers  asking  for  information  of  him,  and,  also,  offer 
ing  to  pay  liberally  for  the  return  of  his  body,  if  found,  to 
the  Clifton  House.  Their  efforts  proved  unavailing,  how 
ever,  and  they  never  succeeded  in  learning  the  fate  of  the 
unfortunate  young  man.  To  this  day,  some  of  the  old 
boarders  in  the  Clifton  House  speak  of  young  Bright  with 
tears  in  their  eyes.  No  one  ever  suspected  him  of  having 
been  the  thief. 

A  week  after  Bright's  disappearance,  the  Prince 
announced  his  intention  of  leaving  for  the  South.  He 
had  received,  through  his  bankers,  Swift  &  Co.,  a  letter 


118  PINKERTON^S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

from  his  father,  directing  him  to  visit  the  Southern  States, 
as  it  was  desirable  that  he  should  become  acquainted 
with  all  parts  of  the  Union.  After  spending  a  few 
months  in  the  South,  he  was  to  take  a  tour  through  the 
Atlantic  States,  and  then  return  to  Bavaria. 

This  announcement  gave  many  a  young  lady  the  heart 
ache,  as  she  thought  of  the  prize  about  to  slip  from  her 
grasp.  The  fair  Cliftonians  were  consoled,  however,  by 
receiving  letters  of  introduction  to  the  Prince's  father, 
and  by  the  Prince's  promise  to  meet  them  in  Munich, 
when  they  should  visit  Bavaria.  They  all  felt  that  "  while 
there's  life,  there's  hope,"  and  each  one  expected  to 
achieve  success  on  the  next  trial. 

The  day  set  for  the  Prince's  departure  arrived  only  too 
soon.  He  devoted  the  morning  to  bidding  tender  fare 
wells  to  the  Hansons,  the  Beavers,  the  Pearsons,  and  all 
the  rest.  Time  flew  as  it  never  had  flown  before.  The 
Prince  had  said  but  half  what  he  wished  to  express,  when 
his  carriage  was  announced  at  the  door. 

He  was  dressed  even  more  superbly  than  usual,  and 
seemed  determined  to  leave  a  most  favorable  impression 
behind  him.  His  big  trunk,  of  undoubted  European 
manufacture,  was  deposited  behind  the  carriage,  the 
Prince,  wrapped  in  his  magnificent  cloak,  took  his  seat, 
and  the  door  was  closed  upon  him.  Hands  and  hand 
kerchiefs  were  enthusiastically  waved  in  adieu  as  the 
gallant  Bavarian  drove  off,  and  in  a  few  minutes  he  dis 
appeared  forever  from  the  guests  of  the  Clifton  House. 

Departing  by  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad,  the  Prince 
went  to  Kankakee,  about  sixty  miles  south  of  Chicago 
where  he  found  it  convenient  to  stop.  He  went  to  a 


CLAUDE  MELNOTTE  AS  A  DETECTIVE.       119 

hotel,  doffed  his  princely  character  and  attire,  and  dressed 
himself  in  a  modest  suit  of  grey.  He  then  packed  his 
finery  in  his  trunk  and  sent  it  to  me  by  express,  while  he 
went  on  to  Onarga,  to  rusticate  on  my  farm. 

At  the  end  of  a  week,  he  returned  to  Chicago,  and  the 
poor,  benighted  residents  of  that  city  never  knew  that 
they  had  possessed  a  prince  of  their  own. 


SEQUEL 


THE  preceding  pages  of  Claude  Melnotte  contain 
nothing  but  absolute  facts ;  the  incidents  related  in 
the  chapters  which  follow,  however,  may  be  taken  with  a 
grain  of  allowance.  The  author  does  not  say  they  did 
not  occur  as  stated,  but  he  cannot  vouch  for  them  from 
his  own  personal  knowledge,  as  he  can  for  all  other  por 
tions  of  this  volume ;  hence  this  sequel  may  be  regarded 
as  a  recital  of  possibilities,  rather  than  as  a  history  of 
actual  facts. 


CHAPTER    I. 

L'  ENVOI. 

IN  the  month  of  April,  1855,  the  families,  whose  daugh 
ters  had  received  the  most  attention  from  the  Prince, 
began  their  preparations  for  a  foreign  tour.  Each  family 
was  desirous  that  the  others  should  not  know  anything  of 
its  own  intentions ;  hence,  the  Hansons,  the  Beavers,  the 
Humes,  and  the  Pearsons  were  all  quietly  working  in  the 
same  direction,  in  total  ignorance  that  others  were  simi 
larly  engaged.  Towards  the  middle  of  May,  the  guests  of 
the  Clifton  began  to  separate  for  their  annual  villeggiatura^ 
some  going  to  Mackinac,  some  to  Saratoga,  and  many 
others  to  watering-places  on  the  sea-coast.  Among  these 
last  were  the  four  families  above-named,  who  took  leave 
of  each  other  with  many  outward  expressions  of  regard, 
and  much  inward  jealousy  and  dislike. 

"  Good-bye,  my  dear,"  said  Mrs.  Beaver  to  Mrs.  Hanson. 
"  I  suppose  we  shall  meet  at  Newport  or  Cape  May.  I 
shall  miss  you  so  much,  and  your  sweet  little  girl,  also. 
Bye-bye." 

The  "  sweet  little  girl  "  looked  daggers  at  the  speaker, 
as  she  felt  herself  quite  a  grown  young  lady,  especially 
since  the  Prince  had  paid  her  so  much  attention.  Mrs. 
Hanson  replied,  however : 

"  Oh !  yes,  I  certainly  hope  we  shall  meet  this  summer  ; 
but  at  any  rate,  of  course  we  shall  all  return  to  the  Clifton 
next  fall.  We  shall  have  so  much  to  talk  about,  then." 


CLAUDE  MELNOTTE  AS  A  DETECTIVE.        121 

"  Yes,  indeed ;  I  have  no  doubt  we  shall  quite  surprise 
each  other  with  our  adventures,"  said  Mrs.  Beaver,  as  she 
went  out. 

Each  lady  was  so  engrossed  in  her  own  plans  that  she 
never  suspected  that  the  other  was  contemplating  the  same 
kind  of  a  surprise  on  her  part. 

"I  hate  that  Mrs.  Beaver,"  said  the  impulsive  Miss 
Hanson,  as  the  door  closed.  "  She  is  always  trying  to 
make  me  appear  a  little  girl.  She  used  to  do  the  same 
when  the  Prince  was  here." 

"Yes,"  replied  Mrs.  Hanson;  "I  don't  like  her  ways 
at  all.  She  is  a  very  scheming  woman,  and  was  terribly 
mortified  that  you  received  more  attention  from  the  Prince 
than  her  daughters  did.  Never  mind ;  wait  until  we  return 
from  Munich  next  fall  —  if  we  do  return  then"  she  added, 
significantly. 

Miss  Hanson's  blushes  showed  that  she  fully  under 
stood  the  possibility  implied  in  her  mother's  last  remark, 
and  she,  therefore,  hastened  to  change  the  subject. 

Miss  Pearson  and  Miss  Hume  were  nearly  of  the  same 
age,  and,  previous  to  the  Prince's  coming,  they  had  been 
quite  intimate.  They  still  maintained  an  outward  friend 
ship,  and  Miss  Hume  spent  the  evening  before  her  depart 
ure  in  Miss  Pearson's  room. 

"  So,  you  are  going  to  Rye  Beach,  are  you  ?  "  said  Miss 
Pearson.  "  Well,  we  shall  leave  here  for  New  York  next 
week.  There  will  be  time  enough  to  arrange  our  plans 
after  we  reach  there.  I  should  so  like  to  go  to  Europe." 

"  Oh  !  my  !  would  you  ?  "  exclaimed  the  horror-stricken 
Miss  Hume.  "  It  must  be  dreadful  to  cross  the  ocean.  I 
know  I  should  die  of  sea-sickness.  Besides,  it's  terribly 
dangerous." 


122  PINKER  TON'S  DE  TECTIVE  STORIES. 

Miss  Hume  never  suspected  that  Miss  Pearson  really 
intended  going,  but  desired  to  frighten  her  out  of  any 
possible  desire  she  might  have,  to  go.  Miss  Hume  was 
one  of  those  women  who  never  do  anything  directly,  if 
they  can  possibly  accomplish  it  by  indirect  means.  Her 
parents  were  rather  mismatched  (though  to  the  world  they 
were  apparently  harmonious),  and  she  had  been  continu 
ally  forced  to  dissimulate  ever  since  she  could  recollect. 
Miss  Pearson,  on  the  contrary,  was  disposed  to  be  perfectly 
frank,  and  her  principles  would  not  permit  her  even  to 
acquiesce  in  a  deception.  She  replied,  therefore  : 

"Well,  I  should  certainly  expect  to  be  sea-sick, 'and  if 
there  were  a  storm,  I  should  be  very  much  frightened ; 
nevertheless,  I  should  like  to  go." 

Her  frankness  disarmed  Miss  Hume's  slight  suspicions, 
so  that  the  subject  was  soon  dropped ;  but  Miss  Hume 
congratulated  herself  that  one  rival  was  safely  disposed 
of  for  the  summer. 

By  an  odd  coincidence,  the  Beaver  and  Hume  families 
engaged  passage  by  the  same  steamer,  in  the  last  week  of 
May,  and  on  the  day  of  sailing  the  two  parties  met,  face 
to  face,  on  the  dock.  Yet,  even  then,  they  were  each  so 
anxious  to  deceive  the  other,  that  neither  suspected  what 
was  the  other's  object  in  being  there,  and  in  the  mutual 
desire  to  conceal  their  real  intentions,  the  following  ludi 
crous  scene  occurred,  as  they  walked  on  board  the 
steamer : 

Mr.  Beaver  —  "  Why,  Hume,  where  did  you  come  from  ? 
Mrs.  Hume  and  Miss  Lydia,  too  ;  really,  quite  an  unex 
pected  pleasure.  Going  to  take  the  steamer  for  Cape 
May,  I  presume  ?  " 


CLAUDE  MELNOTTE  AS  A  DETECTIVE.        123 

Mrs.  Hume  (aside  to  her  daughter)  —  "  How  did  those 
pretentious  Beavers  ever  come  to  be  here  ?  "  (Aloud) 
"  Oh !  I  am  so  glad  to  meet  you,  Mr.  Beaver.  Mrs.  B., 
you  are  looking  even  better  than  you  did  when  you  left 
Chicago.  Your  girls,  too ;  why  you  have  quite  a  family 
party." 

Mrs.  Beaver  —  "  Yes,  indeed ;  it  seems  so  odd  to  meet 
Clifton  House  people  so  far  away.  Have  you  been  in 
New  York  long?" 

Miss  Hume  (leading  the  way  over  the  gang-plank)  — 
"  Oh  !  no ;  we  arrived  about  a  week  ago,  having  stopped 
in  Rochester  for  a  time." 

During  this  conversation,  the  ladies  had  been  "  taking 
stock  "  of  each  other's  dresses,  and  the  Beaver  girls  had 
been  wondering  among  themselves  how  they  could  have 
had  the  ill-luck  to  meet  "  that  Hume  girl ;  "  she  would  be 
sure  to  tell  everyone  that  they  had  gone  to  Europe  to 
meet  Prince  Beauharnais.  Mr.  Hume  and  Mr.  Beaver 
had  been  talking  vaguely  about  the  weather,  when  sud 
denly,  Mr.  Beaver  saw  Miss  Hume  advancing  toward  the 
Cunard  steamer,  and  he  spoke  up  in  a  very  jocular  man 
ner  : 

"That  isn't  your  steamer,  Miss  Lydia.  You  would 
have  found  it  no  joke,  if  you  had  been  carried  off  to 
Liverpool  in  a  Cunarder,  especially  if  your  baggage  had 
gone  to  Cape  May.  Ha  !  ha!  ha!  You  would  have  had 
a  nice  time  !  " 

Miss  Hume  was  very  quick-witted,  and  she  determined 
to  go  on  board  the  steamer  immediately,  without  troub 
ling  her  head  about  the  Beavers' destination,  so  she  stopped 
and  replied : 


134  PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

"  We  are  real  sorry  to  leave  you  so  soon,  but  we  are  not 
going  to  Cape  May.  You  see,  some  of  our  friends  are 
going  abroad  by  this  steamer,  and  we  came  down " 

"  Oh  !  just  so,"  interrupted  the  cunning  Beaver,  who  had 
been  racking  his  brains  to  account  for  his  presence  there, 
and  who  saw  a  plausible  reason  in  Miss  Hume's  remarks. 
"  We  are  here,  then,  on  the  same  errand.  Our  friends, 
the  Carters  of  Cincinnati,  are  going  abroad  by  this  steamer, 
and  we  have  come  down  to  see  them  off."  Saying  which, 
he  joined  Miss  Hume,  and  the  two  parties  moved  on 
board.  Here  they  separated,  since  each  family  was  very 
anxious  to  escape  from  the  other,  and  to  avoid  observa 
tion  until  after  the  steamer  had  sailed. 

"I  would  ask  you  to  call  on  us,"  said  Mrs.  Beaver," but 
we  shall  leave  town  to-day." 

"  What  a  pity !  "  replied  Miss  Hume,  with  a  dry,  little 
cough;  "so  do  we." 

"Well,  good-bye,  all,"  came  in  a  chorus  from  both  par 
ties,  as  they  moved  away  from  each  other. 

"  There,  Mrs.  Beaver,"  said  that  lady's  triumphant  hus 
band,  "  didn't  I  get  us  out  of  that  scrape  nicely  ?  If  those 
Humes  knew  we  were  going  to  Europe,  it  would  be  just 
like  them  to  follow  us  by  the  next  steamer." 

"Yes,  Alf.,"  replied  his  wife,  "I  must  say  I  couldn't 
have  done  better  myself." 

At  the  same  time,  Mr.  Hume  was  saying : 

"  Well,  Mrs.  Hume,  your  daughter's  talent  for  equivo 
cation  was  turned  to  some  use  in  that  instance.  Beaver  is 
rich  enough  to  tag  right  along  after  us,  if  he  supposed  we 
were  going  to  visit  the  Prince.  Lydia,  I  congratulate  you 
upon  your  presence  of  mind.  You  ought  to  have  been  a 
politician,  my  dear." 


CLAUDE  MELNOTTE  AS  A  DETECTIVE,        125 

Lydia  Hume  was  used  to  such  compliments  from  her 
father,  and  never  noticed  them  in  any  way. 

In  a  short  time,  the  steamer  got  under  way  and  left  the 
harbor.  A  heavy,  chopping  sea  was  met  just  outside  the 
Narrows,  and  nearly  every  passenger  yielded  to  the  motion 
of  the  vessel  in  a  few  minutes.  The  first  week  of  the 
voyage  the  sea  was  somewhat  rough,  hence,  none  of  the 
members  of  the  Beaver  or  Hume  parties  were  able  to 
leave  their  state-rooms.  The  latter  half  of  the  trip  was 
violently  stormy,  and  very  few  of  the  passengers  appeared 
at  meals  or  on  deck,  until  smooth  water  was  reached,  and 
the  ship  was  gliding  rapidly  up  the  Mersey.  The  Beavers 
were  then  among  the  first  to  be  ready  to  disembark,  and 
accordingly  ascended  to  the  upper-deck,  where,  with  their 
friends,  the  Carters,  they  took  seats  directly  in  front  of 
one  of  the  stair-cases  leading  to  the  main  salon.  They 
were  chatting  gaily,  in  agreeable  anticipation  of  the  pleas 
ures  of  foreign  travel,  and  were  contrasting  the  harbor  of 
Liverpool  with  that  of  New  York,  when  the  connection 
of  thoughts  led  Mr.  Beaver  to  say,  laughingly : 

"  I  wonder  when  we  shall  meet  the  Humes  again." 

An  exclamation  behind  them  caused  the  whole  party 
to  turn  to  look,  and  there,  just  pausing  at  the  top  of  the 
staircase,  stood  all  three  members  of  the  Hume  family  I 
Miss  Hume  was  the  first  to  recover  herself;  her  stony 
glare  of  amazement  changing  to  one  of  amusement  as 
she  took  in  the  horrified  looks  and  intense  embarrassment 
of  the  Beavers.  Stepping  forward,  gracefully,  she  said : 

"Why,  how  very  unfortunate  you  must  have  been,  Mrs. 
Beaver,  to  have  been  carried  away  accidentally,  on  the 
steamer — especially  if  your  baggage  has  gone  to  Saratoga" 


126          PINKER  TON'S  DE  TE CTIVE  S TORIES. 

she  added,  with  a  mocking  glance  at  Mr.  Beaver.  "  Now 
we,"  she  continued,  "were  so  fortunate  as  to  get  ours  on 
board  just  in  time.  Our  friends,  the  Stantons,  were 
unable  to  go,  and  we  decided  to  take  their  berths  instead 
of  going  to  Cape  May." 

This  was  a  literal  fact ;  the  Stantons,  having  secured 
berths  several  weeks  in  advance,  had  sold  their  tickets  to 
the  Humes  about  a  week  before  the  steamer  sailed. 

The  female  wing  of  the  Beaver  party  were  quite  crushed 
at  this  audacious  statement,  especially  as  the  Carters 
were  looking  at  them  with  open  astonishment ;  knowing 
that  the  trip  had  been  planned  by  the  Beavers  a  long 
time  in  advance,  the  Carters  could  not  understand  Miss 
Hume's  remarks,  nor  the  too  evident  confusion  of  the 
Beavers.  Mr.  Beaver  finally  plunged  into  an  explanation, 
with  about  as  much  presence  of  mind  as  a  bull  in  a  china 
shop. 

"Well  —  ahem;  the  fact  is,  —  that  is,  you  know  —  at 
least,  I  mean  that  we  were  only  joking  that  day.  You 
see  we  didn't  want  every  one  to  know  where  we  were 

going, "  here  he  caught  a  savage  look  from  his  wife, 

and  hastened  to  correct  matters.  "Of  course,  I  don't 
mean  there  was  any  objection,  you  know,  but  for  certain 

private  reasons ,"  another  glance  from  his  wife  sent 

his  wits  wool-gathering,  and  he  stumbled  along :  "  We 
accepted  an  invitation — that  is,  I  mean  —  we  expect 

one  —  our  plan  was  arranged,  you  know,  last  winter ," 

here  he  broke  down,  utterly  annihilated  by  the  looks  of 
horror  of  his  own  family  and  those  of  amusement  in  the 
faces  of  the  Humes  and  Carters. 

"  Oh !  I  quite  understand  you,  Mr.  Beaver,"  said  the 


CLAUDE  MELNOTTE  AS  A  DETECTIVE,       127 

sarcastic  Miss  Hume ;  "  depend  upon  it,  your  secret  is 
safe  with  us.  Well,  good  morning,  I  suppose  we  shall  see 
you  in  London,  or  Paris,  or,  possibly,  Munich  ;  so,  au 
revoir,  my  dear  Mrs.  Beaver." 

The  Humes  then  moved  off  triumphantly,  and  left  the 
Beavers  biting  their  lips  in  wrath  and  shame.  The 
steamer  was  nearly  at  the  docks,  so  that  all  the  passengers 
were  preparing  to  leave.  The  Carters,  therefore,  retired 
from  the  upper  deck,  leaving  the  Beavers  overcome  with 
mortification  at  their  ridiculous  position. 

The  blame  for  the  whole  affair  was  thrown  upon  Mr. 
Beaver,  first,  for  inventing  such  a  stupid  story  in  New 
York,  and  then,  for  making  the  matter  worse  by  his  idiotic 
attempt  at  explanation  to  Miss  Hume.  This  unfortunate 
incident  considerably  damped  the  spirits  of  the  Beaver 
party,  but  they  consoled  themselves  by  anticipations  of 
the  delightful  trip  through  Switzerland,  which  they  had 
arranged  to  make  in  company  with  the  Prince.  Filled 
with  these  agreeable  hopes,  they  determined  to  hurry  on 
to  Munich  in  advance  of  Miss  Hume,  whom  they  now 
recognized  as  an  open  and  formidable  enemy.  Unfortu 
nately,  by  some  mistake,  all  their  baggage  was  carried 
through  Paris,  and  sent  on  to  Marseilles,  where  it  remained 
for  about  ten  days  before  its  whereabouts  could  be  dis 
covered.  They  were  thus  delayed  about  two  weeks,  as 
of  course  they  could  not  go  to  see  the  Prince  without  a 
full  supply  of  handsome  dresses. 

Meanwhile,  the  Humes  also  remained  in  Paris,  having 
sensibly  preferred  to  obtain  all  their  stylish  outfit  in  that 
city,  instead  of  having  it  made  in  the  United  States. 


128          PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

They  then  went  to  Brussels  to  purchase  some  fine  lace, 
and  proceeded  thence  to  Munich. 

The  Hanson  family  followed  the  Beavers  the  very  next 
week,  but  took  passage  in  the  Bremen  line  of  steamers 
and  traveled  leisurely  through  Germany  to  Munich. 

Mrs.  Pearson  and  her  daughter  were  the  last  to  start, 
being  obliged  to  wait  for  some  friends  whose  escort  was 
desirable,  and  they  arrived  in  Paris  just  after  the  Beavers 
and  Humes  had  taken  their  departure.  Mrs.  Pearson 
immediately  went  to  a  popular  American  banking-house, 
to  draw  some  money,  and  there  learned  that  there  were 
already  two  more  Richmonds  in  the  field,  or,  in  other 
words,  that  Miss  Hume  and  the  Misses  Beaver  had 
arrived  in  Paris  recently,  but  had  just  started  for  Bavaria. 
The  Pearsons,  therefore,  determined  to  send  their  letters 
of  introduction  to  Prince  Beauharnais  by  mail,  and  to 
await  a  reply  in  Paris.  In  order  to  send  their  letters  in 
proper  style,  Mrs.  Pearson  requested  the  American  Min 
ister  to  forward  them  through  the  Bavarian  diplomatic 
representative  in  Paris.  The  letters  were,  therefore,  sent 
to  the  Bavarian  legation,  with  a  polite  note  from  our  Min 
ister  requesting  the  Bavarian  Envoy  to  forward  them  to 
Prince  Beauharnais.  Of  course,  the  existence  of  such  an 
individual  was  promptly  denied,  and,  in  a  short  time,  the 
Pearsons  received  perfectly  satisfactory  evidence  that 
their  soi-disant  prince  must  have  been  a  very  plausible 
and  agreeable — but,  nevertheless,  lying — impostor.  Both 
mother  and  daughter  were  highly  indignant  and  morti 
fied,  but  they  had  been  very  guarded  in  their  talk  about 
the  Prince  at  home,  and  had  not  mentioned  him  at  all 
abroad,  so  that  they  did  not  fear  that  any  gossip  would 


CLAUDE  MELNOTTE  AS  A  DETECTIVE.        129 

connect  them  with  the  bogus  Prince.  They  were  all  curi 
osity,  however,  to  know  what  sort  of  a  time  the  Humes 
and  Beavers  had  had  in  their  personal  search  for  him, 
and  they  also  congratulated  themselves  that  they  had 
escaped  that  humiliation  at  least. 

The  fates  decreed  that  the  three  Clifton  House  parties 
should  arrive  in  Munich  on  the  same  day  —  the  Hansons 
from  Dresden,  the  Humes  from  Brussels,  and  the  Beavers 
from  Paris.  Each  party  was  provided  with  a  courier, 
and,  as  soon  as  they  were  established  in  their  rooms,  the 
couriers  were  duly  instructed  to  learn  the  whereabouts  of 
Prince  Beauharnais'  palace,  in  order  that  they  might  call 
upon  him  next  day.  The  wondering,  couriers  were 
greatly  puzzled  at  the  name  of  this  wealthy  prince,  of 
whom  they  had  never  heard  before,  and,  accordingly^ 
ventured  to  ask  a  few  questions.  The  tourists  were  all 
so  anxious  to  show  what  distinguished  people  they  were, 
that  the  story  of  the  young  Prince  and  his  various  invita 
tions  was  told  with  great  pride  to  all  the  couriers. 

These  couriers  are  always  men  of  great  information, 
and  are  very  shrewd  judges  of  character.  In  this  case, 
each  one  felt  confident  that  his  employers  had  been 
imposed  upon,  but  he  did  not  dare  to  tell  them  so  in 
their  present  state  of  mind.  After  a  late  dinner,  however, 
the  three  couriers  met  in  a  neat  cafe,  which  was  the  usual 
resort  of  these  men.  As  they  were  members  of  the  same 
Bureau  des  Couriers,  they  were  all  well  acquainted,  and 
they  sat  down  with  their  beer  and  pipes  to  compare 
notes.  After  the  usual  salutations  had  passed,  they 
began  talking  about  their  respective  employers  and  their 
proposed  routes  of  travel. 


130  PINKER  TON ' S  DE  TECT1  YE  S TORIES. 

"  Oh!  but  I  have  the  queer  lot,"  said  Jacques.  "  They 
are  here,  they  say,  to  visit  a  Prince,  and  may  I  never  see 
Savoy  again  if  I  don't  think  they  are  just  about  crazy. 
They  have  given  me  a  minute  description  of  his  park  and 
his  palace,  and  they  have  an  invitation  to  spend  three 
months  with  him ;  so  my  duties  are  apt  to  be  light  for  a 
while — provided,"  he  added,  scratching  his  ear,  dubiously, 
"I  can  succeed  in  one  thing." 

"  Par  bleu  !  mon  ami,  but  thou  art  more  lucky  than  I," 
answered  Edouard.  "  I,  also,  have  some  of  these  devils 
of  Americans,  and  I  have  been  in  purgatory  since  I  left 
Paris.  They,  too,  are  acquainted  with  a  prince,  who  has 
invited  them  to  accompany  him  on  a  tour  down  the 
Rhine  and  through  Germany.  If  I  had  only  one  thing 
necessary  to  enable  me  to  get  rid  of  them  for  three 
months,  I  would  ask  nothing  better." 

"Yes,"  added  Fran£ois,  "thou  mayst  well  say  that. 
My  route  is  through  the  villainous  mountains  of  Switzer 
land,  where — it  is  a  thing  to  be  hoped — they  may,  some 
of  them,  break  their  necks.  Ah  !  but  how  it  must  have 
rained  princes  in  that  land  of  savages — America.  My 
party  of  Comanches,  also,  are  to  have  a  prince  for  a  com 
panion;  and  may  I  sup  with  the  devil  if  it  is  not  the 
hardest  job  I  have,  to  find  this  same  prince." 

"  Mon  dieu  r  exclaimed  Jacques,  excitedly,  "  thou  hast 
named  the  one  thing  necessary  to  my  comfort.  If  my 
prince  and  his  palace  were  but  found,  I  should  be  ready 
to  believe  in  the  tales  of  the  Arabian  Nights." 

"What!  is  it  possible!"  cried  Edouard.  "Are  we  all  in 
the  same  boat  ?" 


CLAUDE  MELNOTTE  AS  A  DETECTIVE.        131 

"What   is   the  name  of  thy  prince?"  asked  Jacques, 
leaning  over  the  table.  * 

"Prince  Beauharnais  !"  came,  simultaneously,  from  the 
lips  of  Edouard  and  Frangois. 

The  three  couriers  dropped  back  into  their  seats, 
whence  they  had  half  arisen,  and  regarded  each  other 
for  several  moments  with  looks  of  grotesque  solemnity. 
Then,  as  they  caught  a  full  appreciation  of  the  absurdity 
of  the  whole  affair,  they  broke  into  loud  peals  of  mocking 
laughter.  After  a  time,  they  drew  their  chairs  close 
together  and  had  a  long  consultation  in  a  low  tone  of 
voice,  during  which,  they  were  evidently  planning  some 
very  amusing  scheme.  On  separating, they  went  in  differ 
ent  directions,  laughing  to  themselves  and  wagging  their 
heads  mysteriously. 


CHAPTER    II. 

THE  next  morning  dawned  bright  and  beautiful.  No 
more  perfect  day  could  have  been  selected  for  a 
visit,  and  the  whole  tribe  of  delighted  Americans  pre 
pared  themselves  to  descend  upon  the  Prince.  In  each 
party,  the  question  of  what  they  should  wear  had  been 
long  and  earnestly  discussed,  and  the  different  decisions 
reached  were  somewhat  suggestive  of  the  respective  char 
acters  of  the  individuals. 

Mrs.  Beaver  had  such  a  great  regard  for  money  and 
position  that  she  desired  to  show,  in  her  dress  and  appear 
ance,  that  she  was  wealthy  and  "  to  the  manner  born." 
Hence,  she  decided  that  they  should  proceed  with  as 
much  ceremony  in  calling  upon  the  Prince,  as  if  they 
were  attending  a  court  reception.  The  ladies  of  her 
party,  therefore,  appeared  in  full,  evening  dress,  and  Sol 
omon,  in  all  his  glory,  was  not  arrayed  like  one  of  them. 
Mrs.  Beaver  had  obliged  Mr.  Beaver  to  purchase  a  com 
plete  suit  of  court  costume  for  himself,  also,  and  his 
"  make-up  "  was  really  gorgeous.  He  was,  it  is  true,  a 
little  uncertain  whether  his  chapeau  ought  to  be  worn 
"fore-and-aft"  or  "  athwartships,"  (nautical  terms  which 
Mr.  Beaver  had  picked  up  on  ship-board)  but  the  obliging 
courier  set  him  right  upon  this  point.  His  dress  sword, 
as  it  clinked  along  on  the  tile  floor  of  the  hotel,  was  the 
occasion  of  great  satisfaction  to  him,  and  his  martial  strut 


CLA  UDE  MELN OTTE  AS  A  DETECTIVE.         133 

might  have  been  imposing,  had  his  figure  been  more  sol 
dierly,  and  his  bearing  less  awkward.  When  moving 
straight  forward  on  a  smooth  floor,  he  had  no  difficulty, 
but  the  moment  he  removed  his  chapeau  with  his  left 
hand  and  offered  his  right  arm  to  his  wife,  he  found  that 
his  sword  had  an  unpleasant  habit  of  forming  the  most 
extraordinary  complications  with  his  legs  imaginable. 
Before  he  returned  to  his  hotel  that  day,  he  was  fully 
prepared  to  believe  in  the  total  depravity  of  inanimate 
things,  especially  as  applied  to  dress-swords.  About 
eleven  o'clock,  however,  all  was  ready,  and  the  party 
called  upon  the  faithful  Jacques  to  direct  them  to  the 
palace  of  the  Prince  Beauharnais.  Jacques  responded 
meekly,  and  two  elegant  carriages,  with  liveried  drivers 
and  footmen,  drove  up  to  the  hotel  to  take  the  visitors  to 
the  palace. 

The  Humes  had  decided  that  they  would  show  Repub 
lican  simplicity  combined  with  elegance  and  taste,  and 
the  ladies  appeared  in  appropriate  dresses  for  a  morn 
ing  visit.  These  were  in  the  latest  Paris  style,  richly  but 
not  showily  trimmed,  and  were  very  becoming  to  both 
ladies.  Mr.  Hume  was  dressed  with  great  care  in  a  styl 
ish  morning  suit,  and  his  appearance  denoted  a  quiet,  self- 
reliant  gentleman  of  business.  A  plain  but  handsome 
carriage  awaited  them,  and  Frangois  promptly  seated 
himself  on  the  box. 

The  Hansons  agreed  to  make  no  change  in  their  usual 
traveling  costumes.  The  great  American  eagle  was  soar 
ing  in  Mr.  Hanson's  mind,  and  on  every  occasion,  he  took 
pains  to  show  his  disregard  of  "  the  forms  and  ceremonies 
by  which  a  bloated  aristocracy  would  like  to  trammel  the 
10 


134  PINKER  TON 'S  DETECTIVE  S  TORIES. 

free  intercourse  of  man  and  man."  He  would  drop  in  on 
his  friend,  the  Prince,  as  he  would  on  any  one  else,  with 
out  any  fuss  or  parade.  If  the  young  man  were  at  home 
(as  of  course  he  would  be,  according  to  promise),  they 
would  be  happy  to  have  his  company  down  the  Rhine. 

Mrs.  Hanson  was  not  so  sure  how  the  Prince  would 
understand  such  an  off-hand,  free-and-equal  kind  of  treat 
ment,  but  she  recalled  how  often  he  had  expressed  his 
admiration  for  the  freedom  of  manners  in  the  West,  and 
therefore  she  acquiesced  in  her  husband's  ideas.  Miss 
Hanson  decidedly  objected  to  such  an  extreme  applica 
tion  of  republican  principles,  but  her  mother  pacified  her 
by  allowing  her  to  wear  a  full  set  of  magnificent  dia 
monds,  necklace,  ear-rings,  bracelets  and  rings. 

"  Mon  dieu  /"  muttered  Edouard,  when  he  saw  her,  "  a 
miss  of  seventeen  years,  wearing  diamonds — and  in  trav 
eling  costume  at  that!  Ah!  these  Americans!  these 
Americans  !" 

This  party,  also,  started  about  the  same  time  as  the 
other  two,  and  after  a  short  drive  the  various  carriages 
drew  up  before  the  entrance  to  a  large  private  palace. 
This  palace,  like  many  others  in  Europe,  contained  a  fine 
gallery  of  paintings,  which  could  be  visited  by  tourists  on 
obtaining  a  card  of  admission.  The  couriers  had  attended 
to  this  matter,  so  that,  on  arriving  at  the  entrance,  each 
party  was  successively  admitted  by  the  concierge. 

The  Hansons  were  the  first  to  make  their  appearance ; 
and,  as  they  passed  through  the  heavy,  prison-like  doors 
and  up  the  wide  staircase,  they  felt  that  the  realization 
of  their  hopes  was  at  hand.  Edouard  said  something  in 
German  to  a  servant  in  livery,  and  the  latter  led  the  way 


CLA  UDE  MELNO TTE  AS  A  DETECTIVE.       135 

to  the  end  of  a  grand  corridor  hung  with  fine  paintings, 
where  they  entered  a  medium-sized  room  rilled  with  por 
traits.  Here  the  servant  left  them,  and  they  seated 
themselves  to  await  the  coming  of  the  Prince.  They 
had  hardly  composed  themselves  ere  footsteps  were  heard 
coming  down  the  long  corridor.  Mrs.  Hanson  gave  a 
hurried  glance  into  a  mirror  to  assure  herself  of  her  good 
appearance,  and  Miss  Hanson  cast  down  her  eyes,  while 
her  blushing  cheeks  and  heaving  bosom  showed  that  she 
took  more  than  a  trifling  interest  in  the  approaching 
interview.  Mr.  Hanson  had  seated  himself  on  the  oppo 
site  side  of  the  room  from  his  wife ;  but,  as  the  footsteps 
were  still  some  distance  away,  he  arose  and  crossed  over, 
at  the  same  moment  glancing  down  the  corridor,  as  he 
passed  the  open  door.  His  eyes  were  none  of  the  sharp 
est;  hence,  he  only  took  in  a  general  impression  of  the 
advancing  party,  without  being  fully  able  to  distinguish 
features. 

"  My  gracious  !  Mrs.  Hanson,"  he  exclaimed,  in  a  loud 
whisper,  "  the  Prince  and  all  his  family  are  coming.  The 
old  gentleman  is  dressed  in  full  court  uniform,  and  there 
are  three  or  four  ladies  with  him,  all  in  full  dress,  also.  I 
wonder  what  they'll  think  of  us,"  and  he  looked  ruefully 
at  their  own  plain  traveling  dresses. 

"  The  Prince  is  not  tall,  but  he  has  a  commanding  air, 
which  would  show  his  rank  anywhere,"  continued  Mr. 
Hanson.  "  I  didn't  observe  the  ladies,  since  I  only  caught 
a  glimpse,  as  I  passed  before  the  door." 

The  party  was  now  close  at  hand,  so  that  nothing  more 
was  said,  and  the  Hansons  waited  in  mute  expectancy. 
Edouard  had  discreetly  remained  in  the  corridor. 


136  PINKER  TON'S  DE  TECTIVE  STORIES. 

Suddenly,  a  gentleman  and  lady  crossed  the  threshold 
of  the  door.  The  Hansons  rose  eagerly,  and  the  new 
comers,  also,  commenced  to  advance  with  great  cordiality. 
Unfortunately,  the  gentleman's  sword  twisted  itself  around 
his  legs  and  nearly  tripped  him  up,  while  an  ejaculation 
of  disappointment  and  surprise  broke  simultaneously  from 
the  lips  of  both  parties.  The  supposed  Prince  and  his 
family  proved  to  be  the  whole  tribe  of  Beavers,  who  had 
arrived  only  a  moment  or  two  after  the  Hansons. 

For  half  a  minute  there  was  not  a  word  spoken,  but 
each  party  looked  at  the  other  in  dumb  amazement.  Then 
they  all  commenced  talking  at  once,  in  a  nervous,  jerky 
style,  which  plainly  showed  the  general  embarrassment. 
The  Hansons  were  not  only  perplexed  at  the  presence  of 
the  Beavers,  whom  they  had  left,  as  they  supposed,  in  the 
United  States,  but  they  were,  also,  ready  to  cry  at  their 
stupidity  in  dressing  so  inappropriately.  As  they  gazed 
at  the  elegant  toilettes  of  the  Beavers,  revealing  so  many 
of  their  well-developed  charms,  it  seemed  to  Mrs.  and 
Miss  Hanson  as  if  they  would  be  willing  to  sacrifice  their 
"  republican  principles  "  to  all  eternity,  for  the  privilege,  at 
that  moment,  of  being  in  full  dress. 

Before  many  remarks  had  passed,  however,  footsteps 
were  again  heard  approaching,  and  the  opposing  factions 
seated  themselves  in  decorous  silence  to  await  the  Prince's 
entrance.  Mrs.  Beaver's  heart  swelled  in  conscious  antici 
pations  of  triumph,  as  she  glanced  from  the  overpowering 
toilettes  of  her  blooming  group  to  the  sombre  traveling 
dress  worn  by  Miss  Hanson.  Nearer  and  nearer  came 
the  tread,  the  step  being  slow  and  stately,  as  became  a 
dignified  prince,  and  again  the  curtains  at  each  side  of  the 


CLA  UDE  MELNO TTE  AS  A  DE TE C TI VE.        137 

door  swayed  back  as  a  tall  gentleman  entered,  with  a  lady 
on  each  arm. 

It  was  now  Mrs.  Beaver's  turn  to  exclaim  and  look 
embarrassed  ;  though,  for  that  matter,  no  one  felt  particu 
larly  at  ease.  The  new-comers  were  the  Humes,  toward 
whom,  of  all  others,  the  Beavers  felt  most  bitter.  The 
first  surprise  being  over,  and  the  greetings  having  been 
made  all  around,  Miss  Hume  commenced  the  action.  She 
had  the  advantage  of  being  dressed  more  appropriately 
than  any  of  the  others,  and,  moreover,  tht  prestige  of  her 
first  victory  over  the  Beavers  gave  her  confidence.  Besides, 
she  carried  more  guns  than  all  the  rest  of  the  ladies  pres 
ent,  owing  to  her  imperturbable  coolness  and  sarcastic 
wit.  She  began : 

"  I  declare,  I  was  quite  a  prophet,  was  I  not,  Mrs.  Beaver? 
You  know  I  said  we  might  possibly  meet  in  Munich." 

Mrs.  Beaver,  when  fairly  under  fire,  was  not  an  antago 
nist  to  be  despised,  and  she,  therefore,  rallied  nobly. 

"Why,  yes,"  she  replied;  "I  think  you  did  say  some 
thing  of  that  kind ;  but,  of  course,  my  dear,  I  never 
imagined  that  you  were  in  earnest.  Now,  I  should  have 
thought,  last  winter,  that  Bavaria  would  have  been  the  last 
place  you  would  ever  have  been  likely  to  visit." 

"  Oh  !  I  don't  wonder  you  thought  so,"  said  Miss  Hume, 
"  for  I  presume  it  is  not  a  particularly  attractive  country 
to  Americans  in  general.  I  imagine  you  will  hardly  find 
it  worth  staying  here  more  than  two  or  three  days." 

"  Indeed,"  replied  Mrs.  Beaver,  determined  to  sink  her 
enemy  at  the  first  broadside,  "we  propose  staying  here 
about  three  months,  and  the  Prince  has  promised  to  make 
it  very  agreeable  for  us.  We  came  on  his  invitation." 


138          PINKER  TON >S  DETECTIVE  S TORIES. 

As  she  spoke,  she  glanced  at  the  other  ladies  with  a 
smile  of  conscious  superiority,  which  said,  plainly : 

"  I  am  sorry  for  your  disappointment,  ladies ;  but  you 
see  I  have  a  monopoly  of  the  Prince,  and  you  may  as  well 
acknowledge  your  defeat  and  retire." 

To  her  surprise,  both  the  Hansons  and  the  Humes 
returned  her  smile  with  interest,  as  though  rather  amused 
than  alarmed. 

"  I  have  no  doubt  he  would  make  it  very  pleasant 
indeed,"  spoke  up  Mrs.  Hanson;  "but,  of  course,  you 
will  not  remain  here  until  his  return  ?  " 

"His  return?  "  asked  Mrs.  Beaver,  hurriedly.  "Is  he 
away  ?  " 

"Oh!  no,"  answered  Mrs.  Hanson,  regaining  all  her 
self-importance  at  Mrs.  Beaver's  exposure  of  her  igno 
rance  and  alarm ;  "  he  is  not  away  now,  but  he  is  going 
away  soon  to  spend  the  summer,  traveling." 

This  was  the  last  shot  necessary  to  overpower  Mrs. 
Beaver,  and  she  actually  showed  her  distress  in  her  face. 

"Oh!  yes,"  chimed  in  Miss  Hume,  jauntily ;  "  he  has 
agreed  to  make  a  tour  through  Switzerland  with  us.  He 
arranged  to  meet  us  here  the  twentieth  of  this  month,  and 
start  immediately." 

"  Oh  !  pardon  me!  "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Hanson,  losing  her 
presence  of  mind  and  her  politeness  together;  "you  must 
be  mistaken.  The  Prince  promised  to  start  with  us,  for  a 
tour  down  the  Rhine  and  through  Germany,  on  the  twen 
ty-fifth  of  this  month." 

"  Really,  you  must  excuse  me  from  arguing  the  ques 
tion,"  returned  Miss  Hume,  very  decisively.  "  The  Prince 
could  not  have  made  two  appointments ;  and  here  is  my 


CLAUDE  MELNOTTE  AS  A  DETECTIVE.        139 

note-book,  where  he  himself  wrote  down  the  date  and 
route  we  should  travel.  Would  you  like  to  see  it,  Mrs. 
Hanson?  " 

This  completed  the  discomfiture  of  both  the  Hansons 
and  the  Beavers,  leaving  Miss  Hume  mistress  of  the  situ 
ation.  The  position  of  all  parties  was  now  awkward  in 
the  extreme,  and  no  one  can  say  how  they  would  have 
settled  affairs,  had  they  not  been  interrupted. 

A  middle  aged  man  entered  the  room  through  another 
door  than  that  leading  into  the  corridor,  bowed  politely 
to  all  parties,  and  said,  in  very  good  English : 

"  Pardon  my  intrusion,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  but  a  duty 
I  have  to  execute.  I  am  Herr  Althorp,  of  the  Department 
of  Justice.  I  have  been  informed  that  you  and  other 
Americans  have  been  deceived  by  a  man,  professing  to  be 
a  son  of  Prince  Beauharnais,  of  Bavaria.  Believe  me,  he 
must  a  swindler  have  been.  There  is  no  prince  of  that 
name  in  Bavaria.  Neither  has  any  prince  of  Bavaria,  nor 
(as  far  as  we  can  learn)  of  any  other  German  State,  been 
in  America  during  the  winter  past.  We  have  had  already 
some  inquiries  about  this  man,  and  the  American  Minister 
will  tell  you  that  he  must  an  impostor  be." 

"  But  who  was  he,  then  ?  "  asked  Mr.  Hume,  who  was 
the  most  self-possessed  person  in  the  whole  party. 

"  That  can  I  not  tell,"  replied  Herr  Althorp.  "  The 
account  which  we  have  received  makes  it  evident  that  he 
had  plenty  of  money,  and  tried  no  one  to  swindle.  Yet 
we  cannot  tell.  It  might  a  wealthy  young  German  have 
been,  who  wished  the  name  of  Prince  to  take,  for  pleasure. 
But,  in  republican  America," — here  the  gentleman  smiled 
sardonically  — "  he  could  have  derived  no  advantage  from 


140          PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES, 

a  title.  However,  we  shall  send  to  our  consul  in  New 
York  to  warn  the  public  in  America  to  beware  of  this 
man.  If  you  will  call  on  your  Minister  here,  he  will  show 
you  how  you  deceived  have  been,"  and  so  saying,  the 
worthy  detective  (for  such  he  was,  of  the  highest  class,) 
retired  as  he  had  entered. 

The  Beavers  did  not  wait  for  him  to  finish,  but  were 
half-way  out  of  the  door  in  an  instant.  The  Hansons 
stood  not  upon  the  order  of  their  going,  and  soon  passed 
the  Beavers,  whose  progress  was  greatly  impeded  by  Mr. 
Beaver's  sword.  The  manner  in  which  it  crossed  between 
his  legs,  first  one  way  and  then  the  other,  would  have  made 
a  Stoic  laugh.  After  making  several  frantic  plunges  over 
the  dresses  of  his  wife  and  daughters,  Beaver  resolutely 
put  on  his  chapeau  and  let  go  of  his  wife's  arm.  One 
more  trip  sent  the  chapeau  off  his  head  and  brought  him 
down  on  it  with  both  knees.  The  strain  was  too  much 
for  the  white  satin  unmentionables,  and  a  ragged  tear  over 
each  knee  was  the  mortifying  result.  Rising  to  his  feet, 
Mr.  Beaver  deliberately  unbuckled  his  sword-belt  and  led 
the  party,  in  an  ignominious,  straggling  procession,  to  their 
carriages.  On  arriving  at  the  hotel,  the  offending  Jacques, 
their  courier,  was  ordered  to  explain  his  part  in  the  fiasco, 
preparatory  to  instant  dismissal.  Jacques,  therefore,  with 
great  politeness,  informed  them  that  he  knew  of  no  such 
prince  as  they  had  named,  but  that  the  palace  to  which  he 
had  taken  them  had  formerly  been  owned  by  Eugene, 
Vicomte  de  Beauharnais,  created  a  Prince  of  France  by 
his  step-father,  Napoleon  First,  and  afterwards  Prince 
d'Eichstsedt  and  Duke  of  Leuchtenberg,  by  his  father-in- 
law,  Maximilian  I.,  King  of  Bavaria.  The  only  surviving 


CLA  UDE  MELNO TTE  AS  A  DETECTI VE.        141 

descendants  of  the  family  resided  in  Russia  (having  mar 
ried  into  the  Russian  imperial  family),  and  there  was  no 
such  living  person  as  the  Prince  Beauharnais.  In  this 
predicament,  being  required  to  take  them  to  the  Beauhar 
nais  palace,  which  had  no  existence,  Jacques  said  that  he 
had  applied  to  the  police  for  information.  The  authori 
ties  had  recommended  him  to  take  the  party  to  the  Leuch- 
tenberg  palace,  promising  to  send  an  "  agent "  to  explain 
matters  to  the  American  tourists. 

"It  seems,"  continued  Jacques,  "that  inquiries  had 
been  made  by  two  other  couriers,  on  the  part  of  American 
families,  and  the  authorities  had  so  arranged  as  to  bring 
all  three  parties  together  at  once,  so  that  one  explanation 
would  suffice  for  all." 

Jacques  looked  so  honest  in  making  this  statement  that 
the  Beavers  wholly  acquitted  him  of  any  intention  to 
make  them  ridiculous,  and  they,  therefore,  abandoned 
their  idea  of  dismissing  him.  To  tell  the  truth,  they 
reflected  that  it  would  not  do  to  treat  him  harshly,  as  he 
had  it  in  his  power  to  expose  them  to  the  ridicule  of  every 
one  by  relating  the  whole  story. 

"  But,  Jacques,"  suddenly  recollected  Mr.  Beaver,  "you 
told  us,  as  we  walked  down  that  infernal  corridor,  that  we 
should  find  all  the  Beauharnais  family  in  the  room  at  the 
end.  Instead  of  that,  we  found  only  that  Hanson  crowd, 
and  I  came  near  addressing  a  pompous  Kentucky  fool  as 
*  Your  Highness,'  before  I  saw  who  it  was.  How  do  you 
account  for  that  ?  " 

"  Oh  !  "  replied  Jacques,  demurely,  "  the  portraits  of  the 
Beauharnais  family  were  all  there." 

Mrs.  Beaver  looked  at  the  courier  for  a  moment,  to  see 


142          PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

whether  he  was  not  poking  fun  at  them,  but  his  face  was 
so  simple  and  respectful  that  her  suspicions  were  allayed. 

The  fact  was  that  the  whole  contretemps  had  been  plan 
ned  by  these  three  scamps  of  couriers,  only  the  realization 
of  the  scheme  had  far  exceeded  in  absurdity  anything 
they  could  have  expected.  Each  one  made  the  same 
explanation  as  that  made  by  Jacques,  and  in  each  case 
this  explanation  proved  satisfactory,  for  the  same  reasons. 
From  that  time  on,  the  couriers  managed  their  respective 
parties  just  as  they  saw  fit,  since  none  of  them  dared  to 
offend  the  men  who  could  spread  the  story  of  that  ridicu 
lous  episode  in  Munich. 

The  Hansons,  Beavers,  and  Humes,  by  mutual  consent, 
kept  perfect  silence  upon  the  subject  of  their  fiasco,  since 
they  were  all  nearly  equally  mortified.  In  consequence, 
they  separated  for  tours  in  different  directions,  and  re 
mained  abroad  more  than  a  year  longer  than  they  had  at 
first  intended.  By  the  time  they  returned,  the  Prince  had 
long  been  forgotten,  and  they  were  not  annoyed  by  disa 
greeable  questions  from  any  one,  except  Mrs.  Pearson  and 
her  daughter.  These  latter  would  occasionally  express  the 
hope  that  their  friends  had  not  been  disappointed  in  visit 
ing  the  Prince,  etc.;  but,  as  Mrs.  Pearson  was  not  specially 
vindictive  nor  ill-natured,  the  matter  soon  dropped,  and, 
until  now,  no  one  has  ever  known  the  true  story  of  the 
American  Claude  Melnotte  —  Prince  Beauharnais. 


THE    END. 


THE  TWO  SISTERS; 


OR,  THE  AVENGER. 


THE  TWO  SISTERS; 

OR,  THE  AVENGER. 


CHAPTER   I. 

IN  the  early  part  of  April,  1851,  I  was  attending  to 
some  business  for  the  United  States  Treasury  Depart 
ment,  under  orders  from  Mr.  Guthrie,  the  Secretary  of 
the  Treasury  at  that  time.  Having  no  one  to  assist  me, 
I  was  obliged  to  do  an  immense  amount  of  work,  and  to 
take  advantage  of  every  unoccupied  moment,  to  rest  and 
sleep.  I  was  not,  then,  living  in  Chicago,  but  was  tempo 
rarily  boarding  at  the  Sherman  House,  in  that  city,  my 
own  home  being  at  Dundee,  in  Kane  County,  Illinois. 
One  evening,  I  had  retired  early,  exhausted  by  a  hard 
day's  work,  and  had  just  fallen  into  a  sound  sleep,  when 
I  was  awakened  by  my  old  friend,  William  L.  Church,  the 
sheriff  of  Cook  County,  Illinois.  He  was  accompanied 
by  two  other  gentlemen,  whom  he  introduced  to  me,  as 
soon  as  I  could  make  a  hasty  toilet  and  admit  them  to 
my  room.  One  was  Deputy-Sheriff  Green,  of  Coldwater, 
Michigan,  and  the  other,  William  Wells,  of  Quincy,  a 
small  town  about  six  miles  north  of  Coldwater.  Mr. 


146  PINKERTON^S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

Church  said  that  he  wished  me  to  listen  to  the  story 
which  Mr.  Wells  had  to  tell,  and  to  give  my  services  to 
aid  in  capturing  two  of  the  worst  villains  that  ever  went 
unhung,  as  well  as  to  save  their  victims  from  their 
clutches. 

Mr.  Wells  seemed  to  be  about  twenty-one  years  old, 
and  had  an  erect  carriage,  which  gave  him  a  more  manly 
and  determined  look  than  is  usual  in  young  men  of  his 
age.  Drawing  around  the  stove,  we  listened  to  his  sad, 
sad  story,  which,  at  times,  threw  him  into  fits  of  violent 
passion,  and  at  others,  overwhelmed  him  with  grief.  I 
shall  not  attempt  to  tell  the  story  in  the  disconnected 
manner  in  which  he  gave  it  to  us,  but  will  combine,  with 
his  account,  the  further  information  which  we  obtained  at 
the  close  of  my  researches  in  the  case.  Of  course,  many 
of  the  details  here  given  were  unknown  to  young  Wells 
at  the  time  he  called,  with  Mr.  Church,  to  ask  my  assist 
ance  ;  but  enough  was  known  positively,  beside  much  that 
was  evident  inferentially,  to  make  my  blood  boil  as  I  lis 
tened,  and  to  draw  tears  even  from  Mr.  Church  and  Mr. 
Green,  accustomed  as  they  were  to  scenes  of  agony  and 
sorrow.  The  following  is  the  story  of  Mr.  Wells,  together 
with  many  incidents  which  were  developed  later: 


CHAPTER    II. 

ERASTUS  B.  WELLS,  William's  father,  was  about 
fifty-five  years  of  age,  and  had  long  been  a  mer 
chant  in  Boston.  He  had  been  successful  in  business, 
and  had  been  a  wealthy  man,  up  to  less  than  a  year  pre 
vious,  at  which  time,  he  had  been  on  the  point  of  retiring 
from  active  life  and  establishing  his  son  in  his  place.  Mr. 
Wells  was  well  known  and  highly  respected  in  Boston,  and 
had  many  friends  and  acquaintances.  He  was  a  man  of 
large  heart  and  generous  instincts,  so  that  he  had  been 
frequently  asked  to  endorse  accommodation  paper  for  his 
business  associates,  and  had  given  the  use  of  his  name 
and  credit  very  freely — too  freely,  as  events  proved.  A 
very  dull  season  in  trade  came  on,  and,  although  his  own 
business  was  not  seriously  affected,  his  friends  went  down, 
one  after  another,  leaving  him  to  meet  their  debts,  for 
which  he  had  made  himself  liable.  In  consequence,  Mr. 
Wells,  himself,  was  called  upon  to  pay  the  notes  which  he 
had  endorsed  for  his  friends,  and  the  result  was  financial 
ruin.  After  selling  all  his  property,  he  found  himself 
stripped  of  his  whole  fortune,  (except  a  small  sum)  with 
a  family  dependent  upon  him  for  support. 

While  his  affairs  prospered,  he  had  been  blessed  with 
one  of  the  happiest  homes  imaginable.  His  wife  was 
industrious  and  loving,  and  his  children,  of  whom  he  had 
four,  obedient  and  affectionate.  His  children's  names 


148  PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

and  ages  were  as  follows  :  William,  twenty-one  years ; 
Mary,  seventeen  years;  Alice,  fifteen  years,  and  Emma, 
nine  years.  Mary  was  already  a  well-developed  woman. 
She  was  tall,  but  her  figure  was  compact  and  plump.  Her 
face  was  almost  a  perfect  oval  in  shape,  and  her  eyes  were 
large,  and  expressive,  jet  black  in  color,  fringed  with  long, 
fine  lashes.  She  was  noticeable  for  the  beauty  of  her  soft, 
clear,  brunette  complexion,  which  was  a  rich  olive,  deep 
ening  into  a  delicate  red  in  her  cheeks.  She  had  a  small 
mouth,  red,  full  lips  and  very  regular,  pearly  teeth.  But 
her  greatest  charm  was  her  sweet  expression,  which  spoke 
directly  to  the  hearts  of  all  who  met  her.  She  did  not 
belong  to  the  class  of  sentimental  beauties,  who  look  as  if 
a  strong  wind  would  blow  them  away ;  but,  on  the  con 
trary,  she  possessed  a  glow  of  health  and  flow  of  spirits 
which  added  greatly  to  her  attractiveness.  Hers  was  a 
strong  nature/kept  in  check  by  firm,  religious  principles. 

Alice  had  reached  the  age  "where  womanhood  and 
childhood  meet."  She  was  not  as  tall  as  Mary,  nor  was 
her  figure  as  fully  developed.  She  had  her  mother's  eyes, 
dark  grey  in  color,  and  she  almost  rivaled  Mary  in  the 
beauty  of  her  complexion.  When  she  laughed,  she  showed 
such  pretty  teeth,  lips  and  dimples,  that  many  considered 
her  the  beauty  of  the  family. 

Mrs.  Wells  was  a  noble  woman,  and,  in  the  hour  of  her 
husband's  distress,  she  showed  a  courage  superior  to  all 
misfortunes.  William  and  the  girls,  also,  were  sources  of 
great  comfort  to  their  father  by  the  cheerfulness  with 
which  they  met  the  change  in  their  circumstances.  Mary, 
as  the  eldest  daughter,  felt  that  it  was  her  duty  to  take  an 
active  part  in  the  struggle  against  poverty,  which  was  now 


THE  TWO  SISTERS;  OA\   THE  AVENGER.       149 

commencing.  Although  naturally  timid,  she  had  the 
courage  to  carry  out  any  plan  which  she  considered  right 
and  necessary.  The  Wells  family  had  not  gone  into 
society  a  great  deal ;  hence,  they  were  spared  much  of  the 
heartless  treatment  that  is  so  generally  inflicted  in  fashion 
able  circles  upon  those  whom  fate  deprives  of  wealth. 
Still,  there  were  many  among  their  acquaintances,  who 
dropped  them  as  soon  as  they  became  poor.  Although 
they  keenly  felt  these  slights,  they  did  not  give  way  to 
useless  repinings,  but  adapted  their  habits  and  mode  of 
life  to  their  changed  circumstances,  with  cheerful  resigna 
tion  and  contentment.  In  a  short  time,  nearly  all  of  Mr. 
Wells'  property  had  been  absorbed  in  the  payment  of  the 
debts  of  his  friends,  and  he  had  only  a  small  sum  left. 
He  pondered  for  some  time  as  to  what  would  be  the  best 
course  for  him  to  pursue.  Many  of  his  friends  advised 
him  to  take  advantage  of  the  credit  which  his  established 
reputation  for  honesty  and  business  capacity  would  com 
mand,  and  start  in  business  again.  But  the  shock  of  his 
losses,  although  not  caused  by  any  neglect  of  duty  on  his 
part,  had  so  unnerved  him,  that  he  felt  it  would  be  impos 
sible,  at  his  age,  to  commence  at  the  foot  of  the  ladder, 
perhaps  only  to  be  again  dashed  to  the  ground  before  he 
could  reach  a  secure  position.  He,  therefore,  took  a 
small  cottage  in  Boston,  temporarily,  while  settling  his 
affairs,  and  moved  thither  such  necessary  furniture  as  he 
was  able  to  reserve  from  the  sale  of  his  effects. 

Having  finally  satisfied  all  his  creditors,  he  had  remain 
ing  only  a  few  hundred  dollars.     He  then  decided  to  go 
West    and  purchase    a   farm  in    the  State  of  Michigan, 
which  was,  at  that  time,  rapidly  filling  up  with  New  Eng- 
ii 


150  PINKERTON^S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

land  settlers.  The  soil  was  rich,  and  the  country  was  well 
wooded  and  watered,  so  that  farms,  which  could  then  be 
bought  from  the  Government  at  low  rates,  would  become 
worth  thousands  of  dollars  in  a  few  years.  He  had 
money  enough  to  buy  a  quarter-section  of  land,  and  to 
stock  his  farm  with  a  few  cows  and  the  necessary  oxen 
and  farming  implements  required  in  breaking  and  work 
ing  a  new  piece  of  ground.  He  proposed  to  put  up  a 
comfortable  log-house,  where,  with  good  health,  he  hoped 
that  they  might  soon  become  independent  —  for  he  felt 
that  no  one  was  so  truly  independent  as  a  successful 
farmer,  owning  a  well-stocked  farm,  free  from  debt. 

The  girls  were  quite  delighted  at  the  prospect,  not  only 
on  account  of  the  future  pecuniary  advantages,  but 
because  it  would  remove  them  from  the  probability  of 
contact  with  those  who  had  known  them  when  wealthy. 
The  undesired  pity  of  their  friends  was  almost  as  hard  to 
bear  as  the  contemptuous  sneers  of  their  enemies ;  so  that 
they  were  not  sorry  to  make  a  decided  change  of  resi 
dence.  It  did  not  take  long  to  prepare  for  the  journey, 
and  in  a  few  days  they  were  westward  bound. 

The  tracks  of  the  Michigan  Southern  Railroad  had 
been  just  laid  as  far  as  Laporte,  Indiana,  and  many  gangs 
of  men  were  at  work  all  along  the  line,  ballasting  the  road 
and  putting  it  into  smooth  running  order.  The  opening 
of  the  road  had  made  a  large  area  of  valuable  farming 
lands  easily  accessible,  and  settlers  were  pouring  in  fast. 

Mr.  Wells  bought  a  quarter-section  of  land  (one  hun 
dred  and  sixty  acres)  near  Quincy,  Michigan,  where  he 
put  up  a  small  dwelling-house  and  barn,  investing  what 
little  money  he  had  left,  in  live-stock  and  farming  imple- 


THE   TWO  SISTERS  ;  OR,   THE  AVENGER.       151 

ments.  Quincy  was  a  mere  village,  consisting  of  a  tav 
ern,  two  or  three  stores,  two  small  churches  and  a  few 
dwelling-houses. 

The  Wells  family  soon  found  that  there  were  many  little 
things  required  which,  having  no  money,  they  could  not 
obtain,  as  Mr.  Wells  would  not  go  in  debt  for  anything. 
He  could  not  expect  much  return  from  the  first  year  on  a 
new  farm,  especially  as  he  was  comparatively  a  novice  in 
the  business,  not  having  had  any  experience  since  he  was 
a  boy,  working  on  his  father's  farm  in  New  England. 
Both  he  and  William,  however,  worked  very  hard,  and 
succeeded  in  fully  realizing  their  anticipations  for  the  first 
year's  crops,  though,  of  course,  the  returns  were  no  more 
than  sufficient  for  their  bare  subsistence.  The  prospects 
for  the  ensuing  year  were  very  bright,  provided  they  could 
get  through  the  winter  safely,  as  the  farm  was  a  fine  one, 
and  their  late-and-early  labor  had  put  it  into  excellent 
condition.  But,  as  winter  came  on,  it  was  evident  that  it 
would  be  difficult  to  provide  the  necessaries  of  life  for 
the  whole  family  until  Spring. 

Accordingly,  as  soon  as  the  cold  weather  put  an  end 
to  farm-work,  William  applied  for  and  obtained  a  place 
as  foreman  of  a  gang  of  men  at  work  on  the  railroad,  a 
position  he  was  well  qualified  to  fill.  All  his  wages,  he 
brought  home  and  put  into  the  general  family  fund, 
which  Mr.  Wells  disbursed  as  needed.  It  also  occurred 
to  Mary  and  Alice  that  they  might  contribute  something 
to  the  family  treasury,  (beside  getting  their  own  living,) 
by  hiring  out  for  the  winter  to  do  housework  in  Cold- 
water,  the  nearest  town  of  any  size. 

In  the  West,  at  that  time,  (and  it   is   so,  even  now,  in 


152          PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

the  country,)  the  domestic  servant  held  a  much  higher 
place,  socially,  than  at  present.  She  was  looked  upon 
more  as  a  companion  than  as  a  servant ;  and  the  daughters 
of  wealthy  farmers  often  worked  out  for  small  wages, 
rather  than  remain  at  home  toiling  for  nothing.  Mary's 
acquaintances  in  Boston  would  have  probably  raised  their 
hands  in  holy  horror,  if  they  had  heard  that  the  Wells 
girls  were  working  out ;  but  it  did  not  in  the  least  affect 
their  social  standing  in  Coldwater.  In  fact,  it  rather 
raised  them,  as  it  should  have  done,  in  the  estimation  of 
their  neighbors. 

William,  therefore,  obtained  places  for  them  in  Cold- 
water  ;  Mary  taking  a  place  as  domestic  in  the  family  of 
Mr.  Cox,  a  merchant,  while  Alice  took  a  similar  position 
in  a  restaurant  at  the  depot,  kept  by  a  man  named  Blake. 
Their  wages  were  one  dollar  and  fifty  cents  for  Mary,  and 
one  dollar  for  Alice.  The  girls  soon  settled  down  to 
their  duties,  and  got  along  unusually  well.  Mary  gener 
ally  finished  her  work  earlier  than  Alice,  and  then  went 
down  to  Blake's  to  assist  her.  Having  completed  their 
daily  tasks,  they  would  have  a  pleasant  chat,  or  take  a 
short  walk,  but  they  never  received  any  company.  Alice, 
while  waiting  on  the  table,  would  be  polite  to  all,  and 
would  pleasantly  answer  any  questions  put  to  her;  but  as 
soon  as  her  duties  were  finished,  she  held  herself  quietly 
aloof  from  every  one. 

Mrs.  Blake  did  a  fair  share  of  the  work  herself, 
although  she  had  one  servant  besides  Alice.  She  was  a 
good  little  woman,  of  very  pleasing  appearance,  and  had 
been  married  eight  or  nine  years,  though  she  had  no 
children. 


THE  TWO  SISTERS;  OR,   THE  AVENGER.       153 

Mr.  Blake  was  a  remarkably  handsome  man.  He  was 
six  feet  in  height,  and  carried  himself  with  a  very  erect, 
military  air.  His  features  were  regular  and  clear-cut, 
and  he  was  the  picture  of  good  health.  His  hair  and 
silky  moustache  were  jet  black,  and  his  complexion, 
though  dark,  was  clear  and  smooth.  He  was  generally 
dressed  in  excellent  taste,  with  the  exception  that  he 
showed  a  weakness  for  jewelry.  He  wore  a  showy  dia 
mond  pin,  and  frequently  looked  at  his  watch,  a  very 
valuable  English,  gold  hunting-case  time-piece,  which  he 
carried  attached  to  a  massive  gold  chain.  At  that  time, 
gold  watches  were  not  as  common  in  the  West  as  now, 
and  Blake  displayed  his  very  ostentatiously.  In  general, 
however,  he  was  very  agreeable  in  his  manners.  He 
attended  very  little  to  the  business  of  the  restaurant, 
leaving  it  to  his  wife,  while  he  went  about  the  country  a 
great  deal,  driving  a  fast  horse,  which  he  owned.  He 
was  away  from  home  most  of  the  time,  in  fact,  going 
sometimes  to  Toledo,  Detroit,  Laporte,  and  Chicago. 

Coldwater  lay  a  quarter  of  a  mile  distant  from  the 
depot,  and  Blake  rarely  went  to  the  town ;  though  he  was 
always  very  civil  and  polite  to  any  of  the  residents  who 
visited  his  restaurant.  About  all  that  was  known  of  him 
in  Coldwater,  was  that  he  had  kept  the  restaurant  for  two 
years,  and  seemed  to  be  making  money.  Stations  then 
were  very  far  apart  on  the  railroad,  and  travelers  fre 
quently  drove  long  distances  to  take  the  train,  remaining 
at  Blake's  over  night  and  leaving  by  the  morning  train 
next  day.  Blake's  business  was,  therefore,  that  of  a  hotel- 
keeper  ;  his  bar-keeper,  under  Mrs.  Blake's  superintend 
ence,  attended  to  most  of  the  work  in  Blake's  absence, 


154  PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

and  accounted  to  Mrs.  Blake  every  night  for  the  money 
received. 

Although  Alice  was  an  inmate  of  the  house,  she  was 
engaged  in  sewing  for  Mrs.  Blake  most  of  the  day,  and 
saw  nothing  of  the  boarders,  except  at  meal-times. 
Hence,  as  far  as  the  girls  knew,  the  restaurant  was  a 
highly  respectable  place,  and  it  was  not  until  I  had  rent 
the  veil  of  mystery  surrounding  it,  that  they  learned  the 
true  character  of  the  persons  who  made  it  their  rendez 
vous. 

Blake,  as  we  subsequently  learned,  was  in  reality  a 
most  villainous  and  dangerous  man.  For  twelve  years  he 
had  been  a  professional  gambler  and  swindler.  He  had 
been  in  the  habit  of  traveling  on  the  Mississippi  and  its 
tributaries,  always  as  a  gambler  or  roper-in.  He  had 
been  seen  in  Dubuque ;  was  well  acquainted  in  Keokuk 
and  Cairo  ;  had  gone  up  the  Missouri  to  Independence, 
and,  thence,  out  on  the  plains ;  Natchez,  Vicksburg, 
Memphis,  and  New  Orleans  —  all  were  familiar  haunts ; 
and,  as  a  cool,  desperate  villain,  he  had  an  extensive 
reputation,  though  he  had  not  yet  been  exposed  at  Cold- 
water,  where  little  or  nothing  was  known  of  him. 

His  object  in  following  up  the  line  of  the  new  Michigan 
Southern  Railroad,  was  to  take  advantage  of  the  men  at 
work  on  the  road,  and  fleece  them  of  their  hard-earned 
wages,  by  gambling  games.  His  restaurant,  in  reality, 
was  a  regular  gambling  den,  and  was  the  resort,  not  only 
of  all  the  fast  men  and  gamblers  of  Coldwater,  but,  also, 
of  many  young  men,  sons  of  rich  farmers  in  the  vicinity. 
There  were  a  variety  of  games  played  ;  but  the  gambling 
portion  of  the  house  was  removed  from  the  rooms  of  Mrs. 


THE   TWO  SISTERS ;  OR,   THE  AVENGER.       155 

Blake  and  Alice,  and  no  sound  of  the  games  was  ever 
heard  outside  of  the  gambling  rooms.  For  experienced 
gamblers,  there  were  "square"  games  of  poker,  faro  and 
roulette,  Blake,  whenever  he  was  at  home,  officiating  as 
dealer ;  at  other  times  the  rooms  were  closed,  except  for 
poker  and  other  games  not  requiring  a  "banker."  For 
farmers,  laborers,  and  inexperienced  young  men,  Blake 
had  a  special  faro  box,  arranged  in  such  a  way  as  to 
enable  the  dealer  to  know  every  card  before  slipping  it 
out,  and  to  make  it  win  or  lose  at  his  pleasure.  He  had 
inveigled  so  many  persons  into  his  clutches,  that  there 
were  a  number  of  rumors  afloat  about  the  character  of  the 
house  and  its  proprietor,  but  they  were  so  vague  as  never 
to  have  reached  either  William  or  Mary. 

About  eleven  miles  from  Coldwater,  was  the  little  town 
of  Bronson,  situated  about  half  a  mile  from  the  railroad 
station  of  the  same  name.  The  only  building  at  the 
station,  was  a  tavern,  kept  by  one  Harris,  a  great  friend 
of  Blake.  It  was  afterward  discovered  that,  at  Burr  Oak, 
six  miles  from  Harris'  tavern,  a  gang  of  counterfeiters 
were  at  work ;  and,  in  order  not  to  attract  attention  to  Burr 
Oak,  most  of  the  gang  stopped  with  Harris.  The  latter 
was  a  most  consummate  villain,  and  his  wife  was  even 
worse;  so  that  congenial  spirits  were  not  wanting  among 
the  keepers  of  the  tavern  and  their  guests. 

Among  the  frequenters  of  Blake's  gambling  rooms  and 
Harris'  tavern,  was  a  young  man  named  Sloan,  son  of  a 
well-to-do  farmer  near  Coldwater.  He  had  lived  with  his 
parents,  until  he  had  exhausted  their  patience  by  his 
extravagance  and  dissipation ;  he  had  then  left  home  to 
take  a  place  as  stage-driver.  At  first,  he  had  driven  a  stage 


156  PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES 

from  Coldwater  north  to  Lansing.  Soon  becoming  a  most 
proficient  "knight  of  the  whip,"  he  had  gone  to  Chicago 
to  drive  for  Frink  &  Walker,  the  owners  of  all  the  stage 
lines  running  north,  west  and  south  from  that  city. 

In  those  days,  lively  scenes  could  have  been  witnessed 
in  front  of  the  Tremont  House,  where  all  the  stages  started 
from  every  morning.  Old  drivers  would  try  to  see  how 
near  they  could  come  to  overturning  their  vehicles  with 
out  doing  so,  and  green  hands,  in  their  efforts  at  imitation, 
would  come  to  grief,  and  be  hauled  from  the  ruins  of  a 
general  smash-up. 

Sloan  had  learned  to  cut  a  circle  in  the  street  with  a 
four-horse  team  and  a  heavy  stage,  and  was  as  good  a 
driver  as  could  be  found.  Hence,  he  had  easily  obtained 
a  stage  on  one  of  the  western  routes,  but  had  taken  leave 
of  absence,  and  come  home  to  spend  the  winter  with  his 
friends.  Up  to  the  time  he  left  Coldwater,  Sloan  had  not 
been  a  vicious  man ;  but  stage-driving  had  not  been  a  good 
school  for  his  morals.  He  was  about  five  feet  nine  inches 
in  height,  full-faced,  dark  complexioned,  and  had  dark 
eyes  and  hair.  He  wore  heavy  side-whiskers,  and  a  Kos- 
suth  hat,  which  he  kept  on  his  head,  in-doors  and  out. 
He  would  have  been  very  good  looking  but  for  his  rakish, 
dissipated  appearance.  He  was  well  acquainted  with 
Blake  and  his  bar-keeper,  Jim  Kelly,  so  that  he  was  quite 
at  home  about  the  restaurant. 

I  have  now  presented  all  of  the  dramatis  perscnce  of  the 
tragedy  which  was  shortly  enacted,  and  will  proceed  to 
give  the  particulars  thereof,  as  they  occurred. 


CHAPTER    III. 

MARY  was  in  the  habit  of  calling  frequently  to  see 
Alice,  and  soon  became  well  acquainted  with  Mrs. 
Blake.  While  in  the  latter's  rooms,  Blake  would  occasion 
ally  meet  Mary,  and,  in  this  way,  he  came  to  know  her. 
He  hardly  noticed  either  of  the  girls,  as  a  rule,  though  he 
sometimes  spoke  to  Alice,  while  she  was  waiting  on  him 
at  table.  Once  or  twice,  apparently  by  accident,  he  over 
took  Mary  and  Alice  when  on  their  way  to  town,  and 
walked  part  way  with  them.  Occasionally,  also,  he  walked 
with  them  to  Mrs.  Cox's,  and  returned  with  Alice.  He 
was  always  very  respectful,  however,  and  seemed  to  pay 
very  little  attention  to  them. 

Three  months  passed  quickly  away  without  any  inci 
dents  of  consequence.  William  came  often  to  see  his 
sisters,  and  they  were  allowed  to  go  home  once  a  month, 
to  pass  Sunday.  Every  week  they  sent  their  wages  home; 
and  their  spirits  were  kept  up  by  frequent  letters  from 
their  parents,  and  by  the  thought  that  the  little  sum  at 
home  was  increasing  slowly  by  their  assistance. 

About  this  time,  Sloan  began  to  notice  Alice,  and,  in 
order  to  see  her  as  much  as  possible,  began  to  take  his 
meals  at  the  restaurant.  While  Alice  was  waiting  on  him,- 
he  used  to  say  sweet  things  to  her;but,  though  she  always 
waited  upon  him  promptly,  she  paid  no  attention  to  his 
sweet  speeches  and  loving  looks.  If  he  attempted  any 
familiarity,  she  always  walked  out  of  the  room. 


158          PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

There  were  a  number  of  young  men,  farmers'  sons, 
clerks,  arid  students  from  Coldwater,  who  were  very  anxious 
to  get  acquainted  with  Mary  and  Alice;  but  the  latter  were 
quietly  reserved,  and  they  coldly  repelled  all  advances. 
The  decided  manner  with  which  the  sisters  shunned  all 
gentlemen's  society,  greatly  exasperated  these  young  men, 
and  they  talked  a  great  deal  about  the  girls.  Sloan  was 
particularly  angry,  and  he  tried  his  best  to  get  introduced 
into  Blake's  family,  but  without  success ;  as  Mrs.  Blake 
approved  of  the  girls'  conduct,  and  aided  them  as  much 
as  possible. 

In  the  early  part  of  March,  Mrs.  Blake  decided  to  pay 
a  visit  to  her  mother,  who  lived  in  Ypsilanti.  As  she 
would  need  some  one  to  superintend  the  restaurant  during 
her  absence,  it  occurred  to  her  that  Mary  would  be  just 
the  person  for  the  place.  Accordingly,  when  Mary  next 
visited  Alice,  Mrs.  Blake  suggested  the  plan  to  her,  and 
urged  her  warmly  to  accept  the  position  of  house-keeper 
for  two  or  three  months.  Mrs.  Blake  said  that  the  win 
ter's  work  had  completely  tired  her  out,  and  that  she  wished 
to  visit  her  family,  in  order  to  get  rested.  She  had  full  confi 
dence  in  Mary,  who,  though  so  young,  was,  nevertheless, 
very  systematical  and  orderly ;  she  was  sure  that  Mary 
would  manage  the  domestic  arrangements  of  the  restau 
rant  as  well  as  she  could,  herself. 

Mary  did  not  like  to  leave  Mrs.  Cox.  She  got  along 
well  with  the  family,  and  liked  her  place.  On  the  other 
hand,  Mrs.  Blake  offered  her  two  dollars  a  week,  to  take 
full  charge  of  everything  at  the  restaurant;  and,  though 
she  would  have  more  responsibility,  it  would  give  her, 
also  a  more  independent  position.  There  were  two  other 


THE  TWO  SISTERS ;  OR,   THE  AVENGER.       159 

important  advantages :  the  increase  of  wages,  and  the 
fact  that  she  would  always  be  with  Alice.  They  had  sev 
eral  talks  upon  the  subject,  and,  finally,  Mrs.  Blake  offered 
her  two  dollars  and  fifty  cents  a  week,  and  Alice  two  dol 
lars,  if  Mary  would  accept  the  situation  of  house-keeper, 
while  Mrs.  Blake  was  away.  This  decided  the  matter, 
and  Mary  agreed  to  the  terms.  She  felt  that  she  could 
not  afford  to  refuse  an  offer,  which  was  not  only  advanta 
geous  pecuniarily,  but  which  would  enable  her  to  live  with 
Alice. 

When  Mary  informed  Mrs.  Cox  of  her  intentions,  that 
lady  was  quite  displeased  ;  and,  in  order  to  induce  her  to 
remain,  Mrs.  Cox  repeated  a  number  of  the  ugly  rumors 
that  were  afloat  with  regard  to  Blake  and  his  restaurant. 
Among  other  things,  she  said  that  there  had  been  a  bowl 
ing-alley  attached  to  the  restaurant,  which  had  burned 
down  one  night,  very  strangely ;  and  it  was  strongly  sus 
pected  that  Blake,  himself,  had  fired  the  building,  in  order 
to  get  the  insurance  on  it,  which  was  very  heavy.  Mr. 
Cox  came  in  while  they  were  talking,  and  said  that  Mary 
must  not  mention  what  Mrs.  Cox  had  told  her,  because 
there  was  no  certainty  of  the  truth  of  the  story ;  though 
such  were  the  suspicions  of  some  of  the  people  living  in 
Coldwater.  It  was,  also,  publicly  reported  that  Blake  kept 
a  gambling-house,  and  he  advised  her  not  to  go  to  such  a 
place.  Mary  was  horrified  at  these  stories ;  but,  at  the 
same  time,  it  seemed  strange  that  Mrs.  Cox  should  not 
have  told  her  these  things  before,  knowing  that  her  sister 
was  employed  in  the  restaurant,  and  that  she,  herself,  often 
went  there.  She  told  Alice  about  the  rumors,  and  asked 
her  whether  she  had  seen  anything  wrong  about  Blake,  or 


160  PINKER  TON '  .V  DE  TECTI VE  S  TORIES. 

the  restaurant.  Alice  replied  that  she  had  not ;  but  that 
Blake  had  always  been  quiet  and  gentlemanly  in  his  words 
and  actions;  and  that  the  restaurant,  though  having  a  bar 
attached,  had  been  remarkably  orderly  and  well-conducted. 
They,  finally,  agreed  to  lay  the  matter  before  William, 
and  abide  by  his  decision. 

William  was  working  on  the  railroad  between  Coldwater 
and  Quincy,  and  often  visited  Coldwater  station  on  busi 
ness,  always  stopping  to  see  Alice  when  he  came  there. 
The  next  time  that  Alice  saw  him,  she  told  him  about  the 
rumors  concerning  Blake's  restaurant,  and  asked  what  he 
thought  of  them.  He  said  that  he  had  heard  such 
rumors,  and  had  closely  questioned  the  track-men  and 
others  as  to  the  truth  of  the  stories ;  but  they  had  unani 
mously  pronounced  them  false.  With  regard  to  the 
charge  of  setting  fire  to  the  bowling-alley,  the  fact  that 
the  insurance  had  been  paid  without  question,  was  suffi 
cient  evidence  of  Blake's  innocence.  William  considered 
Mrs.  Blake's  offer  too  good  to  be  refused,  and,  therefore, 
advised  Mary  to  accept  it.  Alice  informed  Mary  of 
William's  decision,  the  next  day,  and  Mary  gave  Mrs.  Cox 
notice  that  she  would  leave  in  a  week. 

At  the  end  of  that  time,  she  moved  down  to  Mrs. 
Blake's,  and  was  given  a  small  but  pleasant  room  with 
Alice,  on  the  second  floor.  Mrs.  Blake  remained  a  week, 
in  order  to  instruct  Mary  in  her  new  duties;  and  then, 
feeling  that  matters  would  run  smoothly  without  her,  she 
packed  her  clothes,  preparatory  to  a  visit  of  three  months. 

Mrs.  Blake  was  rather  jealous  of  her  husband,  but  she 
knew  the  purity  of  the  girls'  characters  so  well,  that  she 
had  no  fears  of  them.  What  she  did  fear,  however,  was 


THE   TWO  SISTERS;  OR,   THE  AVENGER.        161 

that  Blake  would  bring  strange  women  into  the  house,  in 
her  absence ;  and,  to  guard  against  this,  she  cautioned 
Mary  not  to  allow  any  straggling  women  to  stop  at  the 
restaurant. 

"If  any  women  come  'round,"  said  she  to  Mary,  uyou 
must  insist  on  turning  them  out.  If  Blake  objects,  you 
write  to  me.  I  shall  be  only  sixty  miles  away,  and  I  will 
come  over  and  soon  oust  them.  I  have  all  confidence  in 
you,  Mary,  and  so  has  Blake ;  and  he  has  agreed  to  let 
you  have  your  own  way,  while  I  am  gone." 

Blake  then  took  his  wife  to  Ypsilanti  in  his  light  cutter, 
the  sleighing  being  good,  and  returned  in  about  a  week. 
He  brought  a  letter  from  his  wife  for  Mary,  and  had  a 
long  talk  with  the  latter  about  the  business  of  the  house. 
He  asked  her  a  number  of  questions  about  the  financial 
and  culinary  arrangements,  but  showed  no  more  freedom 
of  manner  than  when  his  wife  was  at  home. 

Mary  and  Alice  were  now  very  happy.  They  had 
good  situations,  and,  as  they  were  always  together,  began 
to  feel  almost  as  contented  as  if  they  were  in  their  own 
home.  Mary  had  no  difficulty  in  managing  the  house, 
and  all  went  on  smoothly.  Kelly,  the  bar-keeper,  occa 
sionally  came  in  to  turn  over  the  money  from  the  bar, 
and  to  order  extra  meals  for  late  passengers ;  but  he  was 
always  very  respectful  to  both  girls. 

Sloan  was  at  the  restaurant  most  of  the  time,  and  he 
used  to  sit  in  the  dining-room,  with  other  fast  young  men, 
every  evening,  the  bar  being  in  the  same  room.  If  any 
thing  disorderly  occurred,  Mary  would  walk  into  the 
dining-room  to  see  what  was  the  matter,  and  immediately 
the  disturbance  would  cease.  It  was  a  strange  sight  to 


162  PINKERTOWS  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

see  the  manner  in  which  the  worst  rowdies  cowered 
before  this  slight  girl  of  seventeen. 

Alice  did  not  possess  her  sister's  power  of  command, 
and  found  it  very  hard  to  control  some  of  the  customers. 
Many  of  the  young  men  tried  to  make  the  acquaintance 
of  Alice  at  table,  and  several  of  them  sent  invitations  to 
parties,  etc.,  to  both  girls,  but  no  answers  were  ever 
returned.  In  consequence,  it  was  generally  conceded 
that  the  sisters  "put  on  a  good  many  airs  "  for  girls  in 
their  position,  and  the  young  men  were  duly  indignant. 
Sloan  was  particularly  angry  at  Alice,  for  whom  he  had 
conceived  a  violent  passion,  and  he  never  ceased  to 
think  about  her.  Alice  became  almost  afraid  of  him,  and 
said  to  Mary,  once : 

"  That  man  makes  me  tremble  every  time  he  looks  at 
me." 

The  California  gold  mines  had  only  recently  been  dis 
covered,  and  the  "  gold  fever  "  was  at  its  height  in  Cold- 
water.  It  seemed  as  if  every  one  was  preparing  to  start 
for  the  "  diggings,"  and  farmers  were  offering  their  farms 
for  sale  at  very  low  prices,  to  obtain  the  means  to  carry 
them  across  the  plains,  to  the  land  of  promise  in  Califor 
nia.  The  stories  of  the  wealth  to  be  obtained  by  a  few 
months'  work  in  the  mines  had  affected  all  classes  of 
people,  and  even  the  oldest  and  steadiest  were  tempted. 

It  is  not  to  be  wondered,  then,  that  men  like  Blake  and 
Sloan  should  have  turned  toward  the  new  El  Dorado  with 
longing  hearts.  Blake  was  about  tired  of  a  settled  life, 
and,  moreover,  he  was  aware  that  his  character  was 
becoming  known,  and  that  some  of  his  dupes  would  be 
apt  to  bring  a  hornet's  nest  about  his  ears,  some  day, 


THE   TWO  SISTERS;  OR,    THE  AVENGER.       163 

which  might  result  in  still  more  unpleasant  revelations 
with  regard  to  him.  He,  therefore,  began  to  make  prepa 
rations  for  a  move,  keeping  his  intentions  perfectly  secret 
from  every  one  except  Sloan,  with  whom  he  now  became 
very  intimate,  indeed. 

Blake  needed  such  a  man  as  Sloan  for  a  tool,  and  so, 
drew  him  on  to  commit  the  crime  which  they  were  then 
engaged  in  planning,  in  order  to  prepare  him  for  other 
schemes  of  villainy,  when  Blake  should  require  his  ser 
vices.  Sloan  was  greatly  nattered  at  being  noticed  by 
Blake,  who  was  much  superior  in  education  and  intellect 
to  any  of  the  men  in  that  vicinity,  besides  being  a  dash 
ing,  daring  sort  of  a  fellow,  with  great  ability  to  fascinate 
his  associates.  Thus,  by  flattering  Sloan's  vanity,  Blake 
obtained  a  complete  mastery  over  him  ;  and  it  was  only 
necessary  for  Blake  to  say  the  word,  to  lead  Sloan  into 
any  wickedness  that  might  turn  up.  These  two  now 
remained  together  constantly,  making  frequent  visits  to 
Harris,  at  Bronson  station.  Harris  would  sometimes 
come  back  with  them,  as,  also,  two  men  known  as  Dick 
and  Joe.  These  latter  were  a  bad  lot,  and  showed  their 
hardened  characters  in  their  faces. 

Two  weeks  passed  thus  very  pleasantly  to  the  sisters. 
Their  work  was  not  tiresome,  and  they  were  always 
happy  in  each  other's  society.  During  the  day,  they  were 
quite  busy,  but,  after  seven  o'clock,  they  usually  sat  down 
in  the  sitting-room  and  read  aloud  to  each  other,  or 
talked  over  past  pleasures  and  future  prospects. 

All  went  along  quietly  at  Blake's,  until  one  morning  the 
great  equinoctial  gales  commenced,  and  brought  with  them 
a  heavy  sncKv-storm.  Very  few  customers  visited  the  res- 


164          PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

taurant  that  day,  and  those  who  did  brave  the  storm,  went 
home  before  evening,  leaving  only  Blake,  Kelly,  Sloan, 
and  the  sisters  in  the  house. 

After  tea  the  girls  went  into  the  sitting-room,  where  they 
sat,  listening  to  the  storm,  and  looking  into  the  fire.  In  a 
short  time,  Blake  came  in  and  conversed  with  them  for 
some  minutes.  He  was  dressed  with  great  care,  and  he 
made  himself  very  agreeable,  yet  without  showing  the 
least  want  of  respect.  He  was  soon  called  out  by  Sloan, 
who  told  him  that  Harris  had  just  come.  As  Sloan  went 
out,  he  glanced  at  Alice  with  that  devilish  expression  in 
his  eye  that  always  frightened  her,  and  she  was  so  alarmed 
that  she  begged  Mary  to  go  to  bed.  Norah  had  already 
gone  to  her  room ;  and,  as  there  was  no  prospect  of  any 
one  coming  for  meals  at  that  hour,  Mary  agreed,  and  the 
sisters  prepared  to  retire. 

They  went  to  the  back  door  and  glanced  out  at  the 
storm.  The  snow  almost  blinded  them,  but  they  saw  that 
there  was  a  light  in  the  stable,  and  caught  a  glimpse  of 
Blake,  Sloan,  and  a  stranger,  moving  about,  the  strangei 
being  Harris.  There  was  nothing  unusual  in  this,  so  they 
closed  the  door  and  went  to  bed. 

Blake's  room  was  opposite  the  sitting-room,  and,  next  to 
it,  was  the  room  of  Norah,  the  Irish  cook.  The  sitting- 
room  was  between  the  kitchen  and  the  dining-room ;  the 
sisters'  bed-room  was  up-stairs,  directly  over  the  main 
outside  entrance  to  the  dining-room. 

The  girls  little  thought  that  at  that  moment  the  plot 
was  being  planned,  and  the  arrangements  made,  which 
should  forever  blast  their  lives.  As  they  knelt  to  ask 
God's  aid  and  blessing,  Blake  and  his  attendant  scoundrels 


--• 


THE  TWO  SISTERS;  OR,   THE  AVENGER,       165 

were  preparing  for  a  crime  most  foul.  But,  ignorant  of 
the  depravity  of  these  men,  the  sisters  retired  in  peace, 
and  quiet  soon  reigned  over  the  house. 


12 


CHAPTER  IV. 

ABOUT  midnight,  a  loud  knocking  was  commenced  at 
the  main  entrance,  which   quickly  awoke  the  girls 
overhead.    After  a  prolonged  pounding,  they  heard  a  gruff 
voice,  saying: 

"  Open  the  door !  I  am  the  sheriff,  and  I  have  a  warrant 
to  arrest  you,  Blake,  for  setting  fire  to  your  bowling- 
alley." 

The  storm  still  howled  fiercely,  and  the  snow  was  drift 
ing  in  immense  sheets  against  the  window-panes ;  but  far 
above  the  noise  of  the  storm,  the  terrified  girls  heard  the 
knocks,  and  the  stern  voice  commanding  the  inmates  to 
open,  in  the  name  of  the  law.  Not  a  sound  was  heard 
within  the  house,  and  again  came  the  voice : 

"Open  the  door!  I  am  the  sheriff,  and  I  shall  break 
down  the  door,  if  you  don't  let  me  in  at  once." 

Then  came  a  heavy  thud,  and  the  order : 

"  Break  down  .the  door,  boys  !  I'm  bound  to  have  that 
scoundrel,  Blake." 

Crash  followed  crash,  the  door  yielded,  and  soon  a 
number  of  heavy  footsteps  were  heard,  crossing  the  dining- 
room,  and  rushing  about  the  lower  part  of  the  house.  The 
men  ran  hither  and  thither,  searching  the  rooms  below, 
and  blaspheming  in  a  manner  terrible  to  hear.  They 
entered  Norah's  room,  dragged  her  out  of  bed,  and 
demanded  where  Blake  was  concealed.  Not  finding  him 


THE   TWO  SISTERS;  OR,   THE  AVENGER.        167 

there,  the  search  was  continued.  Suddenly,  the  girls  heard 
a  stealthy  footstep  outside  their  door,  and  then,  a  hasty 
fumbling  at  their  latch.  The  door  flew  open,  and  Blake, 
in  a  voice,  seemingly  choked  with  terror,  said : 

"  Oh  !  girls,  hide  me  !  hide  me  !  They  are  going  to 
arrest  me  !  " 

Before  they  could  collect  their  scattered  senses,  Blake 
sprang  into  the  bed,  and  forced  himself  down  between  the 
two  girls,  who  shrank  away,  powerless  and  almost  fainting 
from  fright.  The  men  in  search  were  close  behind  Blake, 
however;  and,  as  he  drew  the  clothes  up  over  his  head,  they 
burst  into  the  room  with  a  yell  of  exultation.  The  sup 
posed  sheriff  and  his  men  proved  to  be  Sloan,  Harris, 
Dick,  and  Joe. 

"Ha!  ha!  ha!"  laughed  Sloan,  fiendishly;  "this  is 
where  you  spend  your  nights,  is  it,  Blake  ?  You're  a  sly 
coon,  but  we've  treed  you-  at  last." 

As  he  spoke,  he  seized  the  bed-clothes  and,  with  a  fling, 
threw  them  over  the  foot  of  the  bed,  disclosing  Blake,  in 
his  night-shirt,  lying  between  the  nearly  insensible  girls. 

Blake  sprang  up  and  said,  in  a  horrified  tone : 

"  Oh  !  gentlemen,  gentlemen,  you  have  gone  too  far !  I 
was  so  frightened  —  as  I  really  thought  you  had  a  warrant 
—  that  I  rushed  in  here  and  begged  the  girls  to  hide  me. 
The  girls  are  virtuous,  I  assure  you,  but  my  indiscretion 
has  placed  them  in  an  awful  position.  It  is  terrible  !  ter 
rible  !  Don't,  for  God's  sake,  let  any  one  know  of  this. 
Come  down  stairs,  and  I  will  treat  you  to  all  the  whiskey 
and  brandy  you  want.  This  affair  must  be  hushed  up ! 
The  girls  are  as  innocent  as  babes.  It  is  all  my  fault." 

"  Ha !  ha !  "  sneered  Sloan ;  "  that  you,  Alice  ?     Blake 


168          PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

is  smart,  but  I  never  knew  he  was  a  Mormon  before,"  and 
coming  to  the  bed-side,  with  an  insulting  remark,  he 
grasped  Alice  in  his  arms. 

"Quit  that  sort  of  business,"  said  Blake.  "The  girls 
are  as  pure  as  snow,  and  I  won't  have  them  insulted.  Go 
down  stairs,  and  keep  quiet  about  this." 

"  Well,"  said  Sloan,  with  an  oath,  "  I'm  going  to  have  a 
kiss  anyhow,"  saying  which,  he  clasped  Alice  close,  and 
kissed  her. 

The  poor  child  was  powerless  to  resist,  and  an  attempt 
to  scream  died  away  on  her  lips.  Mary  was  pale  as  death, 
and  she  lay  motionless,  with  a  look  of  horror  on  her  face, 
that  would  have  moved  less  hardened  wretches  to  pity. 

"  Go  down  stairs,  I  say,"  repeated  Blake,  and  all  but 
Sloan  left  the  room. 

The  latter  again  seized  Alice,  but  Blake  succeeded  in 
forcing  him  from  the  room,  and  then  returned  to  the 
door. 

"  Mary,"  he  said,  "  I  have  done  you  both  a  great  wrong, 
but  those  men  frightened  me  so  much  that  I  did  not  know 
what  I  was  doing.  You  know  that  I  never  wished  to  do 
you  an  injury.  Oh  !  forgive  me  !  please  forgive  me  !  " 

Mary's  mouth  was  parched  and  dry,  so  that  she  could 
not  speak.  She  seemed  to  be  the  victim  of  a  hideous 
nightmare,  which  rendered  her  will  and  muscles  power 
less. 

Blake  went  on  speaking  : 

"Mary,  you  won't  tell  this  to  my  wife,  will  you?  She 
would  feel  terribly,  if  she  were  to  know  it.  I  will  make  it 
all  right  with  the  boys  down-stairs.  All  they  want  is 
liquor.  Won't  you  forgive  me,  and  promise  not  to  tell  my 
wife  ?  " 


THE   TWO  SISTERS;  OR,   THE  AVENGER.       169 

For  a  time,  neither  of  the  girls  could  speak,  but  Mary 
was,  at  length,  able  to  find  her  voice. 

"  Leave  the  room,  and  let  us  alone,"  she  said.  "  I  don't 
know  what  I  am  doing.  I  am  going  crazy.  Go  !  go  !  I 
pray  God  I  may  never  see  daylight." 

Blake  saw  that  any  further  annoyance  might  make  them 
desperate,  and,  therefore,  went  out.  The  girls  lay  in  a 
nervous  stupor  for  some  minutes  after  his  departure,  but 
finally  Mary  got  up  and  closed  the  door.  There  was  no 
lock  nor  bolt  upon  it ;  so  she  motioned  Alice  to  assist  her, 
and,  together,  they  dragged  their  trunks  against  it,  and  bar 
ricaded  it  as  well  as  possible.  Neither  could  speak,  but 
Mary  opened  her  arms  and  clasped  Alice  to  her  bosom  in 
a  loving  embrace.  Their  breaking  hearts  were  relieved 
by  a  flood  of  tears,  and  crawling  into  bed,  they  passed  the 
remainder  of  the  night  in  each  other's  arms,  trembling 
like  leaves  at  every  gust  of  wind  that  swept  around  the 
house. 

After  dressing,  Blake  went  into  the  bar-room ;  there  he 
found  Kelly  up,  dealing  out  drinks  to  the  scoundrels,  who 
were  laughing  over  their  success  in  invading  the  privacy 
of  the  poor  sisters'  chamber.  Blake  tried  to  calm  them 
down  and  induce  them  to  go  home ;  but  they  were  partly 
intoxicated,  and  were  determined  to  stay  as  long  as 
they  pleased. 

Sloan  said,  with  an  oath,  that  he  had  never  had  so  sweet 
a  kiss  before,  and  that  Alice  was  bound  to  be  his. 

"Shut  up,  Sloan,  you're  a  fool,"  said  Blake. 

"  Don't  talk  to  me  that  way,  or  I'll  put  a  knife  into  you," 
muttered  Sloan. 

"I  tell  you,  you're   ad — d  fool,"  said   Blake.     "Don't 


170  PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

you  know  how  to  act  your  part  any  better  ?  If  you  don't 
take  care,  we'll  go  to  the  penitentiary.  If  you'll  keep 
your  mouth  shut  and  leave  matters  to  me,  we  shall  have  a 
good  thing  out  of  this." 

"That's  so,"  coincided  Dick.  "I  have  done  some 
shrewd  things  in  my  time,  and  I  can  always  do  well,  if  I 
have  a  good  chum." 

By  this  time,  Harris  had  the  sleigh  at  the  door,  the  party 
took  a  parting  drink,  and  in  a  few  minutes,  Harris,  Dick, 
and  Joe  were  on  the  road  to  Bronson. 

When  they  had  gone,  Blake  turned  to  Sloan  and  said  : 

"  Now,  Sloan,  the  time  for  rough  work  has  not  yet  come. 
It  will  corne,  bye-and-bye ;  but,  in  the  meantime,  keep 
cool,  don't  talk  much,  and  go  slow." 

"I'll  have  another  drink,  at  all  events,"  said  Sloan,  with 
an  oath ;  "  and  mind  you  remember  the  bargain  —  Alice  is 
to  be  mine  J  " 

"  Hush  up  !  hush  up  !  "  said  Blake  impatiently.  "  I  wish 
I  had  never  known  you.  You're  a  cursed  fool,  and  will 
spoil  everything  by  your  d — d  gas." 

Sloan  took  a  deep  drink  of  brandy,  and,  without  another 
word,  started  out  into  the  storm,  to  walk  to  Coldwater, 
where  he  had  a  room. 

•' Kelly,"  said  Blake,  "be  sure  to  tell  Norah  that  the 
row  to-night  was  only  a  spree  on  the  part  of  the  boys,  and 
that  they  had  a  mighty  fine  time.  I  don't  think  we  shall 
have  any  trouble  with  Mary  and  Alice,  but  we  must  treat 
them  kindly.  If  they  should  go  home,  their  father  and 
brother  would  soon  be  after  us,  and  we  should  have  to 
leave  the  country.  If  we  keep  friendly  with  the  girls,  we 
shall  be  safe;  but  we  must  prevent  them  from  running 


THE  TWO  SISTERS;  OR,  THE  AVENGER.       171 

away  in  the  first  alarm  and  excitement.  There  is  no  fear 
of  seeing  William  here  to-morrow,  as  his  gang  will  be  busy 
clearing  the  snow  from  the  track." 

Having  settled  everything  satisfactorily,  Blake  and  Kelly 
took  a  "  night-cap  "  of  brandy  before  retiring;  and,  in  a 
short  time,  the  house  was  again  quiet. 


CHAPTER     V. 

THE  object  of  this  invasion  of  the  girls'  chamber  will 
be  readily  divined.  Blake  and  Sloan  had  deter 
mined  to  go  to  California  together,  and  to  take  Mary  and 
Alice  with  them.  They  were  perfectly  aware  that  the 
consent  of  the  sisters  could  never  be  obtained ;  hence, 
they  had  decided  to  take  them  by  force.  This  could  only 
be  done  by  so  terrifying  their  victims  as  to  prevent  them 
from  making  any  disturbance  while  traveling,  and  this 
scheme  was  the  preliminary  step.  The  scene  which  trans 
pired  in  the  bar-room,  after  Sloan  called  Blake  out  of  the 
sitting-room,  in  the  early  part  of  the  evening,  was  narra 
ted  to  me  by  Sloan,  after  his  capture  ;  I  give  it,  in  order 
to  show  the  villainous  character  of  the  men,  and  the  way 
in  which  the  plan  was  carried  out. 

Blake,  Sloan,  Harris,  and  Kelly  sat  in  the  bar-room, 
talking  on  general  topics  for  about  an  hour.  Blake  was 
restless  and  nervous,  frequently  looking  at  his  watch,  and 
muttering : 

"  I  wonder  what  keeps  them." 

"  They  will  be  here,  sure,"  said  Harris.  "  I  never  knew 
Dick  to  fail.  I  am  afraid  he  has  stopped  to  play  cards, 
and,  if  so,  it  will  be  hard  for  him  to  break  away.  I  never 
knew  a  fellow  to  get  bound  up  in  cards  as  he  does." 

Blake  walked  to  the  outside  door,  peered  out  a  moment, 
and  then  crept  noiselessly  up  to  the  door  of  the  sisters' 


THE  TWO  SISTERS;  OR,   THE  A  VENGER.       173 

room,  where  he  listened  a  short  time.  On  returning  to 
the  bar-room,  he  said,  as  he  sat  down : 

"They  are  sound  asleep." 

"  Give  us  some  whiskey,"  said  Harris,  and  he  poured 
out  drinks  for  Sloan  and  himself.  Blake  neither  drank 
nor  spoke,  but  maintained  a  moody  silence,  looking 
anxious  and  irritable. 

Harris  took  up  a  pack  of  cards  and  began  to  deal  them. 

"  No,  I  don't  want  to  play —  I  am  too  much  worried," 
exclaimed  Blake,  brushing  the  cards  away.  "  I  wish  Dick 
would  come  !  " 

For  some  time,  little  was  done  or  said.  Blake  walked 
up  and  down  uneasily,  occasionally  opening  the  door  to 
look  out.  At  length,  he  asked  : 

"  Harris,  how  in  the  world  will  you  ever  get  home  ? 
This  storm  is  the  fiercest  I  have  known  for  some  years. 
Shall  you  and  Dick  go  home  to-night  ?  "  Then,  without 
waiting  for  an  answer,  he  continued :  "  It  is  better  that 
you  should  go,  as  it  might  create  suspicion,  if  you  stayed 
here." 

"I  don't  fear  the  storm,"  said  Harris;  "and  shall  get 
home  all  right." 

In  a  short  time,  Dick  and  his  friend,  Joe,  walked  in, 
covered  with  snow.  Blake  grasped  them  warmly  by  the 
hand,  and  said  to  Dick : 

"  I  am  so  glad  to  see  you  !  I  began  to  think  you  had 
forgotten  me." 

"  No,"  replied  Dick ;  "  I  am  always  on  hand  in  an  affair 
of  this  sort,  though  I  don't  yet  know  exactly  what's  wanted 
of  me.  I  don't  mind  the  snow.  When  I  was  sheriff  of 
Butler  County,  Pennsylvania,  I  had  to  go  out  on  a  night 


174  PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

similar  to  this,  and  I  tell  you,  I  made  money  before  morn 
ing.  The  boys  robbed  an  old  man  with  lots  of  money, 
and  I  came  down  on  'em  just  in  time  to  —  make  'em  divide ! 
The  next  morning,  the  old  cuss  met  me  when  I  had  my 
share  in  my  pocket,  and  put  the  case  in  my  hands  (being 
sheriff,  you  know,)  to  hunt  up  the  thieves ;  but  I  never 
caught  them,  ha  !  ha !  ha !  "  Then,  slapping  Joe  on  the 
shoulder,  he  added :  "  I  think  I  can  lay  my  hand  on  one 
of  the  boys  that  did  that  job,  now,"  and  he  burst  into  a  fit 
of  satanic  laughter,  in  which  he  was  joined  by  all  except 
Blake,  who  took  no  notice,  whatever. 

A  whispered  consultation  was  then  held  between  Blake, 
Sloan,  Harris,  Joe,  and  Dick  —  the  bar-keeper  being  half 
asleep  behind  the  bar.  Blake  explained  what  he  wished 
done  and  the  other  ruffians  readily  coincided.  At  eleven 
o'clock,  Blake  took  a  glass  of  brandy,  his  first  drink  that 
evening,  and  again  looked  out,  down  the  track.  Not  a 
light  was  to  be  seen,  and  the  snow  was  piled  in  great  drifts 
over  the  track  ;  it  was  quite  evident  that  no  trains  could 
pass  over  the  line  for  some  time. 

"  Now  is  a  good  time  to  commence  operations,  is  it 
not?  "  said  Blake. 

"  Yes,"  said  Dick.  "  Harris,  hitch  up  the  team,  and 
we'll  get  ready  to  start  for  Bronson." 

Blake  wished  them  good  night,  told  Kelly  to  lock  up  the 
house,  and  went  to  bed.  Sloan,  Dick,  Harris,  and  Joe 
took  one  more  drink,  and  then  went  out  to  the  stable. 
Kelly  locked  the  door  and  tumbled  into  bed,  at  about  half 
past  eleven  o'clock. 

The  events  of  the  remainder  of  that  terrible  night  have 
already  been  given,  and  I  now  return  to  the  sisters. 


CHAPTER    VI. 

ALL  through  the  still  hours  of  that  gloomy  night,  the 
sisters  mingled  their  tears  together,  almost  speech 
less  from  physical  fear  and  mental  agony. 

"What  shall  we  do!  what  shall  we  do!"  murmured 
Alice. 

"  I  don't  know,"  said  Mary.     "  What  can  we  do  ?" 

What,  indeed,  could  two  innocent  girls,  the  oldest  but 
seventeen,  do  in  a  struggle  with  such  crafty  villains  ? 

Toward  daybreak,  they  fell  into  a  troubled  sleep,  but 
by  seven  o'clock,  they  again  awoke  to  all  the  horrors  of 
their  situation.  After  dressing,  they  remained  in  their 
room  some  time,  fearing  to  go  down  stairs.  They  finally 
mustered  up  the  courage  to  go  into  the  kitchen,  where 
they  found  Norah,  going  on  with  her  work,  as  if  nothing 
had  happened.  The  sisters  glanced  at  her  in  a  half- 
frightened  way,  and  she  said : 

"  Shure,  Mary,  and  didn't  yees  hear  the  row  last  night? 
Faith,  thin,  they  had  a  foine  time  playin'  their  tricks  on 
the  masther.  Didn't  yees  hear  them,  Alice?" 

Then  was  taken  the  fatal  step  which  placed  the  sisters 
in  the  power  of  the  scoundrels. 

"No,"  said  Alice  ;    "was  anything  going  on?" 

"There  was,  indade,"  replied  Norah.  "Yees  must  ha* 
slept  sound  the  night,  not  to  ha'  heerd  thim  bys  that  was 


176          PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

here  about  midnight.  There  was  a  whole  pack  of  thim, 
and,  d'yees  know,  they  broke  in  the  door  to  the  bar 
room.  The  blaggards  came  into  my  room,  aven,  and 
axed  if  the  masther  was  there.  But,  after  all,  they  was 
very  dacent  gintlemin  on  a  bit  of  a  lark,  and  they  spent 
their  money  fraly.  Kelly  spakes  well  of  thim." 

"We  did  not  hear  anything,"  said  Alice;  "at  least,  I 
did  not;  did  you,  Mary?" 

Mary  did  not  answer.  She  could  not  decide  what  to 
do;  but,  as  Alice  had  adopted  that  course,  she  thought 
best  not  to  contradict  her.  She,  therefore,  pretended  not 
to  have  heard  the  question,  and  walked  into  the  sitting- 
room.  She  dusted  the  furniture  mechanically,  and  then 
went  to  the  window  and  looked  out.  On  every  side,  she 
saw  evidences  of  the  severity  of  the  storm.  The  snow 
was  two  feet  deep  on  a  level,  and  the  roads  were  all 
blocked  by  almost  impassable  drifts.  No  one  would 
venture  out  that  day,  unless  compelled  by  some  great 
necessity. 

The  girls  prepared  breakfast  as  usual ;  but,  when  Blake 
came  in,  they  were  unable  to  look  him  in  the  face.  He 
sat  down  alone  with  them,  as  there  were  no  boarders  in 
the  house,  and  talked  in  a  very  gentle  and  sorrowful  tone 
about  the  unfortunate  occurrence  of  the  previous  night. 
He  said  that  he  would  take  care  that  no  harm  should 
come  to  them.  The  boys  had  only  tried  to  have  a  good 
joke  at  his  expense,  little  thinking  it  would  turn  out  so 
seriously.  He  would  see  that  no  one  should  ever  hear 
anything  about  the  matter,  and  that  the  girls'  reputation 
should  not  suffer. 

The    sisters    said    nothing,    whatever,    finishing    their 


THE   TWO  SISTERS;  OR,   THE  A  VENGER.       177 

breakfast  in  complete  silence.  After  their  work  was 
done,  they  went  into  the  sitting-room,  to  talk  over  what 
had  happened. 

"Mary,"  said  Alice,  " I  want  William  to  take  us  both 
home.  How  I  wish  he  would  come  up  this  morning!" 

"I  do  not  intend  to  remain  here  any  longer,"  said 
Mary.  "  I  would  go  home  at  once,  if  it  were  possible ; 
but  look  at  the  roads !  They  are  impassable,  and  the 
railroad  is  worse.  Kelly  says  that  no  trains  passed  last 
night,  and  he  thinks  none  will  pass  to-day.  We  cannot 
go  to  Coldwater,  as  we  know  only  Mrs.  Cox,  and  she  is 
angry  with  me  for  leaving  her.  I  would  not  let  her  know 
what  has  happened  for  the  world,  as  she  is  a  gossip,  and 
would  spread  the  story  everywhere.  The  best  course  for 
us  to  pursue  is  to  give  notice  that  we  shall  leave  at  the 
end  of  the  week.  Blake  is  really  sorry  for  us,  and  will 
prevent  any  one  from  molesting  us  until  then ;  and  when 
we  get  home,  father  and  mother  will  know  what  to  do,  in 
case  the  story  gets  abroad.  As  soon  as  William  comes, 
he  shall  take  our  trunks  home,  and  we  will  follow  on 
Saturday." 

After  further  conversation,  this  plan  was  adopted;  so 
when  Blake  came  into  the  room,  Mary  told  him  that 
they  were  going  home  permanently  on  Saturday,  as  they 
could  not  stay  in  a  place  where  they  were  subjected  to 
such  insults. 

Blake  expressed  his  regret  at  losing  them,  as  they  had 
always  been  so  capable  and  trustworthy ;  but,  under  the 
circumstances,  he  could  not  blame  them  for  leaving.  He 
would  guarantee  that  no  one  should  ever  learn  the 
reason  of  their  departure,  outside  of  those  engaged  in  the 


178          PINK&RTOWS  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

"joke."  He  had  always  admired  the  purity  of  their 
characters,  and  the  thought,  that  he  had  been  the  means 
of  sullying  their  reputations  so  irreparably,  filled  him  with 
sincere  sorrow.  He  could  not  sufficiently  condemn  his 
own  conduct. 

In  this  way,  while  apparently  trying  to  lessen  their 
fears,  he  was,  in  reality,  working  on  their  feelings  in  a 
most  alarming  manner.  The  only  trouble  which  the  girls 
anticipated,  was  the  talk  which  would  be  made  about 
them,  if  the  story  got  abroad  ;  but  Blake  cunningly  magni 
fied  the  scandal  which  would  result,  while  professing  to 
be  able  to  keep  it  quiet.  By  making  it  appear  that  their 
guilt  would  be  universally  believed,  if  the  story  should 
ever  get  out,  he  made  them  think  that  he,  alone,  could 
save  them  from  infamy.  In  this,  he  fully  succeeded,  as  he 
was  aware  of  Alice's  falsehood  to  Norah,  and,  by  casually 
referring  to  it,  he  showed  them  that  the  best  thing  for 
them  was  to  keep  the  whole  affair  perfectly  quiet.  He 
talked  so  kindly,  and  seemed  to  feel  so  sorry,  as  almost 
to  win  the  girls'  respect,  and  he  induced  Mary  to  promise 
never  to  tell  his  wife. 

He  had  now  gained  the  point  for  which  the  plot  had 
been  laid,  and  felt  confident  of  success  in  the  whole 
scheme  of  abduction.  He  had  sufficiently  compromised 
the  girls  to  accomplish  two  objects,  as  he  thought.  Hav 
ing  taken  the  first  steps  in  deception,  the  girls  would  be 
afraid  to  appeal  to  any  one,  except  their  own  family,  for 
aid,  and  he  proposed  to  get  them  out  of  the  reach  of 
their  friends,  as  quickly  as  possible.  He  then  intended 
that  Harris,  Dick,  and  Joe  should  tell  the  story  of  having 
found  him  in  bed  with  the  girls,  to  blacken  their  charac- 


THE  TWO  SISTERS;  OR,   THE  A  VENGER.       179 

ters,  and  make  their  abduction  appear  like  a  voluntary 
flight.  The  falsehood  which  Alice  had  told  Norah  would, 
also,  play  an  important  part,  as  corroborating  the  theory 
that  Blake  had  actually  seduced  the  girls,  before  their 
flight.  This  would  probably  prevent  pursuit  by  the  offi 
cers  of  the  law,  while  the  Wells  family  would  not  have 
the  means  to  hunt  for  him.  The  time  that  would  elapse 
before  the  affair  would  become  known,  and  the  delay 
created  in  the  early  investigation,  would  give  him  such  a 
start  as  to  make  his  capture  impossible,  even  if  the 
county  authorities  should  conduct  the  search. 

Like  all  criminals,  he  was  expert  in  hiding  his  tracks; 
but  he  had  forgotten  one  thing  —  that  crime  invariably 
carries  its  own  punishment,  and  that  there  is  no  escape 
for  the  guilty. 


CHAPTER     VII. 

DINNER  was  served  at  the  usual  hour,  and  Blake 
acted  in  the  same  kind,  gentle  manner  as  before. 
While  the  meal  was  in  progress,  Sloan  entered  the  room, 
walked  over  to  Alice,  and  put  his  arm  around  her  neck. 
She  sprang  away  from  him  in  terror,  while  Blake  rushed 
over  to  protect  her,  seemingly  in  a  towering  passion. 

"  Sloan,  didn't  you  do  enough  harm  last  night  ?  Get 
out  of  this  room!"  he  commanded,  as  if  speaking  to  a 
dog. 

Sloan  turned  upon  him  savagely,  but,  seeing  that  Blake 
was  in  earnest,  he  fairly  cringed  and  said,  as  he  crawled 
out  of  the  room  : 

"  I  didn't  mean  any  harm.  I'll  see  you  when  you  come 
out." 

Both  the  sisters  felt  the  blow,  but  did  not  know  what  to 
do.  They  went  immediately  to  their  room,  and  Mary 
said: 

"  What  is  to  prevent  others  from  making  the  same  kind 
of  advances  that  Sloan  has  made  ?  If  William  would  only 
come,  he  would  take  us  away  at  once ;  but  there  are  no 
trains  running,  and  there  is  no  one  to  help  us." 

They  dropped  on  their  knees  and  prayed  for  help,  as 
only  those  can  pray,  who  are  driven  to  the  verge  of  des 
peration. 

Sloan  and  Blake  had  a  meeting  in  the  barn. 


THE   TWO  SISTERS;  OR,   THE  A  VENGER.       181 

"You  are  acting  wrong,"  said  Blake.  "I  had  just  suc 
ceeded  in  calming  down  the  girls,  when  you  must  come 
in  and  spoil  everything,  by  taking  liberties  with  Alice." 

"  Yes,  d — n  it,  isn't  she  mine  ?"  ask'ed  Sloan.  "  Haven't 
I  a  right  to  kiss  her  when  I  please?" 

"  Pshaw  !  you're  a  fool !  Don't  you  understand  that  we 
shall  have  to  use  strategy  ?  If  you  act  properly,  she  will 
be  yours  bye-and-bye,  but  if  you  try  to  force  things,  you 
will  find  yourself  in  the  penitentiary.  I  thought  you  had 
some  common  sense.  She  is  young,  she  is  courageous, 
and  if  you  take  liberties  with  her,  the  game  is  up.  Many 
decent  people  come  to  my  restaurant,  and  if  they  should 
hear  her  scream,  they  would  burst  in  on  you,  and  then 
where  would  you  be  ?  You  fool !  I  wish  I  never  had 
had  anything  to  do  with  you.  I  see  my  mistake  now." 

"  Well,"  said  Sloan,  in  a  conciliatory  manner,  "  I  will 
do  just  as  you  say,  provided  I  am  certain  of  having 
Alice." 

"  What  do  you  want  to  talk  about  it  for  ?  You  must 
keep  quiet,  or  you  will  get  them  excited,  and  they  have 
friends  all  around  to  whom  they  might  go.  I'll  tell  you 
what  you  must  do.  It  will  be  a  hard  job,  but  it  can't  be 
helped.  You  must  go  to  Bronson,  get  a  double  sleigh 
with  plenty  of  buffalo  robes,  and  come  here  by  eleven 
o'clock  to-night.  I  will  have  the  girls  drugged  by  that 
time,  and  we  will  carry  them  off  at  once."  As  he  spoke, 
he  drew  a  small  phial  of  laudanum  from  his  pocket. 

Sloan  touched  the  laudanum  to  his  tongue  and  asked : 

"Will  that  put  them  to  sleep?" 

"  Yes,"  said  Blake  ;  "  it  is  laudanum.    We  can  keep  them 
drugged  with  it  for  seven  or  eight  hours,  and  even  longer 
by  renewing  the  dose." 
13 


182  PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

An  expression  of  brutal  admiration  came  into  Sloan's 
face,  as  he  said  : 

"  Blake,  you're  a  bully  fellow !  What  a  fool  I  have  been 
to  kick  against  you  !  You're  just  the  man  for  me !" 

"  All  right ;  now  listen.  I  am  going  to  carry  them  off 
to-night,  so  you  must  tell  Harris  to  have  a  couple  of  bed 
rooms  warm  and  comfortable  for  us  on  our  arrival.  Tell 
him  to  have  Dick  and  Joe  on  hand  to  carry  the  girls  into 
the  house,  as  we  shall  be  too  numbed  by  the  cold  to  do 
anything.  Be  sure  to  tell  him  to  have  the  house  quiet, 
with  no  outsiders  around.  Take  this  money,  one  hundred 
dollars,  and  give  it  to  Harris  to  pay  all  expenses,  including 
Dick  and  Joe." 

"I'm  your  man,"  said  Sloan,  and  he  started  off  at  a 
rapid  pace  for  Bronson. 

At  supper,  Blake  acted  in  the  same  manner  as  at  break 
fast  and  dinner,  taking  pains  not  to  say  anything  to  hurt 
the  feelings  of  the  sisters.  He  was  so  kind  and  re-assur 
ing  in  his  conversation,  that  the  girls  began  to  have  great 
confidence  in  him.  He  acted  his  devilish  part  well. 

At  nine  o'clock,  as  the  girls  said  good-night  and  started 
to  go  to  bed,  Blake  said  : 

"  Mary,  you  and  Alice  must  be  wholly  exhausted  from 
the  terrible  shock  you  received  last  night,  and  I  am  afraid 
you  will  be  so  nervous  as  to  be  unable  to  rest  well.  Let 
me  give  you  each  a  glass  of  wine.  It  will  quiet  your  -nerves 
and  make  you  sleep." 

Mary,  at  first,  declined,  but  Blake  pressed  it  upon  her 
so  urgently,  yet  politely,  that  she,  at  length,  consented. 
The  girls  were  both  very  weak  and  faint,  as  they  had  not 


THE  TWO  SISTERS;  OR,   THE  AVENGER.       183 

felt  like  eating  anything  all  day,  and  Mary  thought  that 
perhaps  a  glass  of  wine  would  do  them  good. 

"I  will  set  the  wine  outside  the  door  of  your  room," 
said  Blake,  "  and  you  need  not  drink  it  until  you  are  get 
ting  into  bed." 

The  girls  then  went  to  their  room,  and  about  ten  o'clock, 
Blake  came  up  with  two^glasses  of  wine.  He  set  the  waiter 
down  on  a  chair  close  to  the  door,  knocked,  to  let  them 
know  he  had  brought  the  wine,  and  went  down  stairs. 
When  he  had  gone,  Mary  brought  the  wine  into  the  room, 
and,  with  Alice's  assistance,  barricaded  the  door  as  well 
as  they  were  able.  After  saying  their  prayers,  they  each 
drank  a  glass  of  the  wine  and  got  into  bed.  They  talked 
a  few  minutes  and  then  dropped  into  a  peaceful  sleep. 
Care  and  fear  faded  out  of  their  minds,  and  their  only 
dreams  were  of  home  and  parents.  Finally,  their  sleep 
became  heavier  and  deeper,  until  it  was  evident  that  the 
drugged  wine  had  done  its  work. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

SLOAN  arrived  from  Bronson  shortly  after  eleven 
o'clock.  He  had  a  wide  box-sleigh,  provided  with 
movable  seats,  and  filled  with  hay  and  buffalo  robes. 
Silently  as  cats,  the  two  men  stole  up  to  the  room  of  the 
sleeping  girls.  They  easily  pushed  back  the  slight  barri 
cade  against  the  door,  and  entered  the  chamber.  Their 
light  revealed  to  them  the  two  sisters,  sleeping  in  each 
other's  arms.  For  a  moment,  even  their  hardened  hearts 
were  touched  by  the  purity  of  the  scene ;  but  they  forced 
back  every  good  feeling,  and  proceeded  with  their  damna 
ble  work.  Lifting  Alice  out  of  bed,  they  hurriedly  drew 
some  of  her  clothing  over  her  helpless  form,  wrapped  her 
in  a  blanket,  and  laid  her  down.  They  then  did  the  same 
with  Mary.  Both  sisters  were  restless,  in  spite  of  the 
laudanum;  and  Mary,  raising  herself  on  one  arm,  mut 
tered  plaintively,  as  if  dreaming : 

"  Mother  !     Oh  !  mother  !     Why  don't  you  help  me  !  " 

This  powerful  and  touching  appeal  from  her  unconscious 
lips,  had  no  effect,  except  to  cause  Blake  to  administer  an 
additional  dose  of  the  drug  to  both  girls. 

"  There,"  said  he,  with  an  oath,  " I  guess  that  will  quiet 
them." 

He  then  packed  some  of  the  girls'  clothing  into  a  carpet- 
sack  and  put  it  into  the  sleigh.  Sloan  then  lifted  Alice  in 
his  arms,  carried  her  down  to  the  sleigh,  and  quickly 


THE  TWO  SISTERS;  OR,  THE  AVENGER.       185 

covered  her  up  completely  with  blankets  and  buffalo  robes, 
as  he  feared  that  the  cold  air  might  revive  her.  Blake 
followed  with  Mary,  whom  he  placed  beside  Alice.  He 
then  seated  himself  by  them  to  watch,  while  Sloan  sprang 
to  the  front  seat  to  drive.  The  horses  were  kept  at  the 
top  of  their  speed,  where  the  drifts  would  permit,  and,  in 
about  two  hours,  they  arrived  at  Harris'  tavern. 

As  the  panting  horses  dashed  up,  Dick  and  Joe  came 
out  and  assisted  Blake  and  Sloan  to  carry  the  unconscious 
girls  to  the  rooms  which  had  been  prepared,  and  which 
were  separated  from  each  other  only  by  folding  doors. 
Alice  was  placed  in  one  bed,  and  Mary  in  the  other,  while 
Blake  and  Sloan  returned  to  the  bar-room  to  get  warm. 
When  thoroughly  warmed  through,  they  instructed  Harris 
not  to  disturb  them  in  the  morning,  took  a  drink  of 
brandy,  and  went  to  the  rooms  of  the  girls. 

That  night  was  consummated  the  crime  which  sent 
Blake  and  Mary  to  their  graves  —  the  guilty  and  the  inno 
cent.  Blake  had  succeeded  so  far  in  his  villainy,  but,  ere 
long,  the  avenger  was  to  be  upon  his  track. 

It  was  nearly  nine  o'clock  the  next  morning  before  Mary 
began  to  regain  consciousness,  and,  for  a  time,  she  lay  in 
a  semi-stupor.  Gradually,  a  dull,  throbbing  pain  in  her 
temples  awakened  her,  and  she  opened  her  eyes.  Every 
thing  was  new  and  strange  to  her.  She  must  be  crazy, 
she  thought,  and  she  said  aloud : 

"  Oh  !  mother,  what  is  it  ?  " 

Then  she  stretched  out  her  hand,  as  if  to  touch  Alice 
beside  her,  but  touched  Blake,  instead.  Her  eye  followed 
her  hand ;  and,  on  seeing  Blake,  a  dazed  comprehension  of 
the  truth  flashed  through  her  mind.  She  sprang  from  the 


186          PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

bed,  hastily  drew  some  of  her  clothes  about  her,  and 
rushed  to  the  door,  which  was  locked.  Blake  also  jumped 
from  the  bed,  and  approached  her. 

"Mary,"  said  he,  in  a  stern,  commanding  voice,  "  take 
care  !  Remember,  that  now  you  are  mine  !  I  will  do  any 
thing  for  you,  if  you  will  only  love  me.  I  love  you  truly. 
I  tried  to  banish  your  image  from  my  heart,  but  could  not. 
I  then  determined  that  you  should  be  mine.  To  accom 
plish  this  end,  I  sent  my  wife  to  visit  her  mother ;  and 
then  carried  out  the  plan  which  has  placed  you  in  my 
power.  You  must  yield  to  me,  and  love  me,  or  /  will  kill 
you." 

"  Kill  me,  kill  me  at  once  !  You  are  a  monster !  I 
know  I  am  ruined,  but  oh !  let  me  go  from  here  !  "  Mary 
answered. 

As  Blake  approached  to  take  hold  of  her,  she  shrieked, 
"Murder!  murder !"  with  all  the  energy  of  despair.  At 
the  same  moment,  came  a  piercing  shriek  from  the  adjoin 
ing  room. 

Sloan  was  a  coarser  villain  than  Blake,  and,  as  Alice,  on 
awakening,  sprang  from  his  side,  with  a  scream,  he  struck 
her  a  blow  that  knocked  her  down.  He  then  lifted  her 
up  and  put  her  into  bed. 

"  There,  d — n  you,"  said  he ;  "  I'll  teach  you  not  to  put 
on  airs.  You're  mine,  now,  and  you've  got  to  obey  me." 

Alice  neither  moved  nor  spoke,  and  Sloan,  seeing  that 
she  had  swooned,  became  frightened.  He  rushed  down 
to  tell  Harris,  and  the  latter  sent  his  wife  up.  Mrs.  Harris 
was  a  hardened  wretch,  who,  like  many  another  fallen 
creature,  gloated  over  the  ruin  of  innocent  girls.  She  was 


THE  TWO  SISTERS;  OR,   THE  A  VENGER.       187 

capable  of  attempting  any  crime,  which  would  bring  in 
money. 

I  shall  not  try  to  describe  the  agony  of  those  pure  young 
sisters ;  it  would  be  impossible  for  pen  to  give  an  adequate 
idea  of  their  sufferings.  Escape  was  impossible.  They 
were  in  the  hands  of  as  inhuman  monsters  as  ever  drew 
breath;  but  there  was  no  help  for  them,  and  they  were 
forced  to  submit. 

What  a  fate  was  theirs  !  Young,  innocent,  lovely,  and 
entirely  ignorant  of  the  sin  and  misery  of  the  world,  they 
were  dragged  away  from  all  that  made  life  dear,  and  made 
to  suffer  cruelly,  both  mentally  and  physically.  But  their 
future  trials  were  even  worse  than  their  present.  They 
still  had  to  pass  through  the  most  degrading  of  ordeals, 
from  which  Mary  was  to  find  escape  only  in  death.  What 
earthly  punishment  could  be  devised  severe  enough  to 
punish  justly  the  brutes  who  had  debauched  them? 

Blake  and  Sloan  went  down  stairs,  leaving  Dick  and 
Joe  to  watch  the  girls,  who  were  not  allowed  to  leave  their 
respective  rooms.  In  the  afternoon,  Blake  drove  over  to 
the  restaurant,  to  get  the  girls'  trunks  and  remaining 
clothes,  which  he  brought  to  Bronson  about  dusk. 

In  the  meantime,  the  girls  had  dressed  themselves,  but 
they  had  eaten  nothing  all  day,  and  they  began  to  be  faint 
and  weak.  On  his  return,  Blake  went  in  to  see  Alice,  and 
found  her  weeping. 

"  Won't  you  have  some  wine  ?  "  he  asked. 

"Oh!  yes,"  said  Sloan  ;  "  she  will  take  anything  I  offer 
her.  I  have  been  teaching  her  to  mind  me  without  making 
a  fuss  about  it." 

Blake  passed  into  Mary's   room,  and  asked  her  if  she 


188  PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

would  take  some  wine.  She  was  so  weak  and  sick  that 
she  could  not  speak,  so  she  merely  nodded  her  head  in 
assent.  He  then  went  down  stairs,  where  he  met  Sloan. 

"It  is  well  they  are  dressed,"  said  Blake.  "We  shall 
not  have  any  bother  with  them  when  they  start  out.  Take 
some  wine  and  cake  up  to  Alice,  and  I  will  take  some  to 
Mary.  We  must  leave  here  by  the  evening  train.  I  have 
sent  word  to  my  wife  to  come  and  take  charge  of  the 
restaurant ;  telling  her  that  Mary  had  gone  home  sick, 
and  that  Alice  had  gone  to  nurse  her.  We  must  strike  for 
the  West  and  keep  out  of  danger.  We  have  got  the  girls 
pretty  well  broken  in,  but  we  must  watch  them,  for  if  they 
give  us  the  slip,  their  brother  will  be  after  us  in  no  time. 
We  must  keep  them  stupefied  with  the  laudanum,  and 
prevent  any  one  from  speaking  to  them,  or  seeing  their 
faces.  Hurry  up  !  we  have  no  time  to  lose." 

Sloan  went  up  to  see  Alice,  and  made  her  eat  some  food 
and  drink  some  wine,  while  Blake  took  some  wine  and 
cakes  to  Mary,  and  left  her  alone.  Mary  knelt  down 
before  she  ate,  and  prayed  her  Heavenly  Father  to  deliver 
her  from  the  power  of  her  enemies. 

When,  the  evening  train  came  along,  Mary  and  Alice 
were  sleeping  quietly  from  the  effects  of  a  mild  dose  of 
laudanum,  administered  to  them  in  their  wine.  The  train 
stopped  to  take  wood  and  water.  Blake  found  one  car 
almost  empty,  and  in  this  car,  the  sisters  were  placed, 
being  half  carried  in  a  drowsy  stupor  by  Blake  and  Sloan. 
Both  girls  were  heavily  veiled  and  no  one  could  have 
recognized  them,  even  if  any  of  their  acquaintances  had 
been  on  the  train.  Blake  took  a  seat  by  Mary,  and  Sloan 
beside  Alice,  so  as  to  keep  control  of  them.  The  sisters 


THE  TWO  SISTERS;  OR,   THE  AVENGER.        189 

were  so  far  under  the  influence  of  the  drug,  however,  as 
to  fall  asleep  as  soon  as  they  were  seated ;  and,  in  this 
way  Laporte  was  reached,  without  any  suspicion  having 
been  awakened  in  the  minds  of  any  one.  From  Laporte, 
the  party  went  by  a  connecting  line  to  the  Michigan 
Central  Railroad,  and  thence  to  Chicago,  where  all  trace 
of  them  was  lost. 


CHAPTER    IX. 

NEARLY  a  week  elapsed  before  the  girls'  abduction 
was  discovered.  Kelly,  the  bar-keeper,  said  noth 
ing  in  reference  to  the  matter,  and  Mrs.  Blake,  on  her 
return,  three  days  later,  supposed  that  Mary  had  gone 
home  sick,  as  Blake  had  stated  in  his  letter.  Blake's 
absence  was  nothing  unusual,  as  it  was  his  habit  to  start 
off  suddenly,  to  be  gone,  perhaps,  for  several  weeks. 
William  was  too  busy  to  go  to  Coldwater ;  and,  although 
Mrs.  Wells  thought  it  strange  that  Mary  did  not  write  to 
her,  she  was  not  alarmed,  supposing  that  the  girls  might 
be  too  much  occupied  to  write. 

When  William  went  to  Coldwater,  however,  and  heard 
the  story  which  Blake  had  written  to  Mrs.  Blake,  all  was 
plain  to  him  in  an  instant.  His  anguish  was  terrible,  and 
he  cursed  himself  for  having  advised  his  sisters  to  go  to 
the  restaurant  to  live.  Mrs.  Blake  was  equally  affected. 
She  loved  her  husband,  brute  as  he  was,  and  would  not 
believe  that  he  could  have  committed  a  crime.  On  the 
contrary,  she  accused  Mary  of  leading  him  astray. 

William  did  not  know  what  to  think  nor  do.  He  knew 
that  his  sisters  were  innocent,  and  that  they  must,  there 
fore,  have  been  carried  away  by  force,  but  he  could  find 
no  clue  as  to  how  or  where  they  had  gone.  He  returned 
home  and  gave  his  parents  the  sad  intelligence  that  Mary 
and  Alice  had  mysteriously  disappeared.  They  were 


THE  TWO  SISTERS;  OR,   THE  AVENGER.      191 

frantic  with  grief,  but  could  suggest  no  means  of  recover 
ing  the  girls.  William  then  went  immediately  to  Cold- 
water  and  laid  the  case  before  the  sheriff.  The  sheriff 
was  a  man  of  excellent  feelings,  and  his  heart  was  touched 
at  William's  story ;  he,  also,  fully  believed  that  they  had 
been  abducted  by  force.  He  at  once  sent  for  his  deputy, 
Mr.  Green,  to  whom  he  gave  charge  of  the  case. 

"  Green,"  said  he,  "  you  must  not  waste  a  moment  in 
getting  on  the  trail  of  these  villains  and  their  victims. 
You  must  then  leave  nothing  undone  to  bring  them  back 
to  Coldwater — the  girls  to  their  parents  and  the  scoun 
drels  to  jail.  It  will  be  a  lasting  disgrace  to  our  county, 
if  we  do  not  bring  the  perpetrators  of  this  vile  crime  to 
justice." 

Green  soon  learned  the  particulars  of  the  abduction,  up 
to  the  time  when  Blake  and  Sloan  took  the  girls  away 
from  Bronson.  William,  while  at  home,  had  obtained  all 
the  money  that  he  could  raise,  and  was  ready  to  accompany 
Green  on  his  search. 

They,  accordingly,  proceeded  west  as  far  as  Laporte, 
where  they  met  the  conductor  of  the  train  in  which  Blake 
had  taken  the  party  away  from  Bronson.  The  conductor 
described  Blake  and  Sloan  exactly,  but  could  not  describe 
the  girls,  as  their  faces  had  been  closely  veiled,  and  they 
had  slept  most  of  the  time.  He  recollected  that  just 
before  arriving  at  Laporte,  he  had  seen  the  taller  of  the 
two  girls  trying  to  speak  to  some  passengers,  as  they 
passed  out  of  the  car  at  Carlyle.  The  man  sitting  with 
her  had  pulled  '-her  down  on  the  seat  again,  at  the  same 
time  showing  her  a  knife  and  apparently  saying  some 
thing  harsh  to  her.  The  conductor  had  regarded  it,  at 


192          PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

the  time,  as  merely  a  family  quarrel,  with  which  it  would 
be  better  for  him  not  to  interfere.  There  had  been  noth 
ing  else,  whatever,  to  arouse  any  suspicions  with  regard  to 
the  party,  and,  therefore,  no  idea  of  abduction  had  ever 
occurred  to  him. 

The  party  was  traced  as  far  as  Chicago,  the  accounts 
always  being  the  same — that  the  girls  had  slept  during 
the  whole  journey,  except  when  changing  cars,  when  they 
had  seemed  only  half-awake. 

Green  and  William  arrived  in  Chicago  and  applied  to 
Sheriff  Church  for  his  aid ;  but,  though  every  effort  was 
made,  no  trace  of  the  villains  could  be  found.  All  that 
could  be  discovered  was  that  the  party  they  were  search 
ing  for,  had  arrived  in  Chicago,  Saturday  morning,  but 
there  all  clue  was  lost.  They  were  determined  to  con 
tinue  the  search,  however,  and  Mr.  Church,  therefore, 
advised  them  to  put  the  case  in  my  hands. 

It  was  nearly  morning,  by  the  time  William  had  finished 
the  story  of  the  abduction,  so  far  as  he  then  knew  it ;  and, 
having  agreed  to  undertake  the  task  of  discovering  the 
villains,  I  parted  with  my  visitors  and  returned  to  bed. 

This  form  of  crime  was  new  to  me  then,  and  I  never 
before  had  heard  such  a  truly  painful  case.  My  heart 
was  deeply  touched,  as  I  thought  of  the  helpless  misery 
of  those  pure,  young  girls,  and  I  lay  awake  for  some  time, 
thinking  over  the  best  course  to  pursue.  I  had  intended 
to  go  to  my  home  in  Dundee  the  next  day,  but  I  deter 
mined  not  to  give  up  the  chase,  until  I  had  rescued  the 
girls,  and  brought  to  punishment  the  brutes  who  had 
debauched  them. 


CHAPTER    X. 

AFTER  sleeping  a  couple  of  hours,  I  started  out, 
very  early  in  the  morning,  on  my  work  of  detection. 
Mary's  avenger  was  now  upon  Blake's  track,  never  to  be 
shaken  off.  I  had  obtained  a  full  description  of  the 
whole  party  from  William  and  Green,  so  that  I  felt  confi 
dent  of  my  ability  to  follow  them  up,  the  moment  I  should 
discover  any  trace  of  them. 

After  visiting  the  depot  and  several  hotels  near  by,  I 
walked  into  the  American  Hotel,  on  the  corner  of  Lake 
street  and  Wabash  avenue.  Although  I  did  not  live  in 
Chicago,  I  was  well  acquainted  with  the  city,  and  knew 
Mr.  Rossitter,  the  proprietor  of  the  American  Hotel,  very 
well.  Accordingly,  I  described  Blake's  party  to  Mr.  Ros 
sitter,  and  asked  if  any  persons  answering  to  their  descrip 
tion  had  stopped  at  his  hotel. 

"  Yes,"  he  replied,  "  and  I  thought  there  was  something 
strange  about  them.  I  did  not  like  the  appearance  of  the 
tall  man.  He  looked  like  a  gambler,  and  a  desperate 
one  at  that.  They  gave  their  names  as  'Brown  and 
lady,'  and  'Snell  and  lady.'  They  occupied  adjoining 
rooms,  opening  into  each  other,  and  took  their  meals 
there,  never  once  appearing  in  the  dining-room.  In  fact, 
the  ladies  never  left  their  rooms  for  any  purpose,  what 
ever,  and  looked  dull  and  sleepy  all  the  time.  After  they 
had  gone,  I  learned  from  the  chambermaids  and  waiting- 


194          PINKER  TON 'S  DETECTIVE  S TORIES. 

girls  that  there  were  a  number  of  suspicious  circum 
stances  connected  with  them.  The  ladies  were  evidently 
afraid  of  the  men,  and  one  of  the  latter  had  a  small 
phial  which,  the  chambermaid  thought,  contained  lauda 
num.  The  men  drank  heavily  and  always  had  a  bottle 
of  wine  on  the  table." 

"  Do  you  know  where  they  went  ?"  I  asked. 

"They  went  west  on  the  Galena  and  Chicago  Union 
Railroad,  but  I  don't  know  where  they  were  bound." 

"  When  did  they  leave  ?"  I  asked,  but  immediately 
answered  my  own  question  :  "  Oh  !  of  course  they  stopped 
over  Sunday  and  took  the  train  Monday  morning.  Good 
bye,  Rossitter,"  and  I  hurried  over  to  the  sheriff's  office. 

"Church,"  I  said,  "I'm  off.  Detain  young  Wells  and 
Deputy-Sheriff  Green  until  you  hear  from  me.  It  is  now 
Friday;  you  will  probably  get  a  dispatch  from  me  by 
Monday  or  Tuesday.  Keep  them  easy,  and  say  that  I 
am  on  the  trail  of  the  scoundrels." 

So  saying,  I  went  out  and  hastened  to  the  Galena 
depot,  being  just  in  time  for  the  morning  train  going 
west.  The  conductor,  Mr.  Wiggins,  was  an  old  acquaint 
ance,  so  I  entered  into  conversation  with  him,  in  the 
course  of  which,  I  asked  him,  casually,  whether  he  had 
had  charge  of  the  train  Monday  morning,  ten  days  before. 
He  replied  that  "  Deacon  "  Harvey  had  taken  the  train 
out  that  morning,  the  two  conductors  going  out  altern 
ately  morning  and  evening. 

As  I  lived  on  the  line  of  the  road,  I  knew  all  the  con. 
ductors,  and  hoped  to  get  some  information  from  Harvey, 
if  we  did  not  pass  him  between  stations. 

I  then  stretched  myself  comfortably  in  my  seat,  and 


THE   TWO  SISTERS;  OR,   THE  AVENGER.       195 

began  to  ponder  upon  the  probabilities  as  to  Blake's 
course.  I  knew  that  he  was  the  moving  spirit  in  the 
whole  affair,  and  that  all  my  calculations  must  be  made 
upon  his  probable  action.  If  he  were  going  to  California, 
he  was  taking  a  very  circuitous  route,  since  it  was  neces 
sary  to  go  much  further  south,  if  he  intended  to  strike 
across  the  plains.  Still,  he  might  intend  waiting  some 
where  in  the  interior  of  Illinois  until  spring,  and  then  he 
could  go  down  the  Mississippi  to  St.  Louis,  or  any  other 
point  that  he  might  choose.  It  was  not  at  all  likely  that 
he  would  go  into  an  unsettled  country  to  stay;  he  was 
too  fond  of  company  and  gambling  to  do  that.  It  was 
most  probable  that  he  would  stop  in  some  large  town 
until  spring,  and  then  go  to  St.  Louis,  thence  up  the  Mis 
souri  river  to  Independence,  and  from  there  start  across 
the  plains  for  California. 

"Yes,"  I  soliloquized,  inaudibly,  "there  is  something 
probable  in  that.  They  will  most  likely  hide  in  Illinois, 
but  will  they  stay  together?  Sloan  is  a  stage-driver,  and 
is  well  acquainted  on  all  the  stage  routes ;  hence,  he  will 
be  of  service  in  getting  passes  and  reduced  rates  of  fare 
on  the  stage  lines.  He  will  probably  wish  to  remain  east 
of  the  Mississippi,  and  Blake  will  not  go  far  away.  Well, 
I  shall  have  to  feel  as  I  go  along,  trusting  to  getting  some 
clue  in  Belvidere." 

The  Galena  and  Chicago  Union  Railroad,  (now 
absorbed  in  the  Chicago  and  Northwestern  Railroad,)  was 
the  first  railroad  commenced  in  Illinois,  and  the  only  one 
running  west  of  Chicago.  It  had  been  completed  only  to 
Belvidere,  in  Boone  county,  from  which  point  travelers 
and  immigrants  were  carried  west  and  north  in  stages, 


196  PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

many  of  which  were  in  waiting,  on  the  arrival  of  each 
train. 

At  Marengo,  John  Perkins,  the  agent  of  Frink  &  Walker, 
got  aboard  the  train  to  sell  tickets  to  persons  wishing  to 
leave  Belvidere  by  any  of  the  numerous  stage-lines,  all 
of  which  were  owned  by  the  above-named  firm.  John 
was  a  fine  young  fellow,  who  had  been  promoted  to  his 
present  place  from  that  of  stage-driver.  He  was  a  genial, 
shrewd  man,  who  tried  to  be  on  good  terms  with  every 
one,  and  generally  succeeded.  He  and  I  were  well 
acquainted  with  each  other,  and  I  determined  to  draw 
him  out  quietly,  as  he  was  just  the  man  to  have  observed 
Blake's  party,  if  he  had  met  any  of  them. 

It  is  my  practice  never  to  tell  any  one  what  object  I 
have  in  view,  unless  it  is  absolutely  necessary  that  I 
should  do  so.  Therefore,  I  did  not  tell  John  what  the 
business  was  which  took  me  to  Belvidere.  He  joined  me 
after  he  had  been  through  the  whole  train,  and  we  had 
a  pleasant  conversation.  At  length,  I  introduced  the 
subject  of  stage  management,  upon  which  John  was  never 
tired  of  talking. 

"  How  many  different  stage  routes  start  from  Belvi 
dere?"  I  asked,  after  a  few  remarks  had  passed. 

"  Oh !  several,"  said  John,  and  he  went  on  to  tell  how 
many  stages  there  were  on  each  route,  the  number  of 
times  the  horses  were  changed,  the  average  number  of 
passengers,  and  many  other  details. 

"  Do  you  employ  many  men  to  handle  baggage  ?"  I 
asked. 

"  Yes ;  we  have  six  men  in  Belvidere  alone,  and  they 
have  all  they  can  attend  to." 


THE  TWO  SISTERS;  OR,   THE  AVENGER.       197 

"  What  a  number  of  drivers  you  must  have,  John!"  I 
said,  carelessly.  "  How  do  you  ever  manage  to  keep  track 
of  them  all?" 

"That's  an  easy  matter,"  said  he,  pulling  a  memo 
randum  book  from  his  pocket.  "This  contains  an  alpha 
betical  list  of  the  names  of  all  the  drivers  in  my  division." 

"  You  stage  men  have  brought  things  down  to  a  won 
derful  system,"  said  I,  as  I  took  the  book  and  casually 
glanced  through  it. 

I  saw  that  E.  Sloan  was  a  driver  on  the  route  from 
Janesville  to  Madison,  and  I  continued  to  turn  the  leaves 
as  I  said  : 

"  Oh  !  so  Sloan  is  driving  for  you,  eh  !  I  used  to  know 
him  some  time  ago.  He  was  driving  for  the  Humphries, 
in  Michigan,  then,  I  believe." 

"Yes,"  replied  John,  "he  came  to  us  from  them." 

"  He's  a  good  driver,  isn't  he?" 

"Yes,"  said  John,  "very  good,  indeed." 

"Where  is  he  now?"  I  asked,  as  I  saw  that  John  did 
not  suspect  me  of  having  any  particular  object  in  my 
inquiries. 

"  He  and  his  wife  came  west  about  a  week  ago  and 
went  on  to  Rockford.  I  gave  him  a  pass  to  Janesville 
and  told  him  he  could  have  his  old  route,  but  I  don't 
know  whether  he  will  take  it,  as  he  said  he  could  not 
decide  what  he  should  do  for  a  week  or  two.  He  said  he 
might  like  a  southern  route." 

"  I  am  glad  to  hear  he's  doing  so  well,"  I  replied.  "  He 
is  an  old  friend  of  mine,  and  I  should  like  to  see  him." 

"  You  will  most  likely  find  him  in  Rockford ;  but  if  he 
has  left  there,  you  can  easily  find  where  he  has  gone." 

H 


198  PINKERTON^S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

"  So,  he  has  taken  a  wife,  eh  ?  "  I  said,  half  musingly. 
"  I  wonder  whom  he  married.  Did  he  have  any  friends 
with  him  ?  " 

"Yes;  a  man  and  his  wife  were  with  him,"  said  John. 
"  I  did  not  like  the  looks  of  the  man  very  much ;  from 
the  *  cut  of  his  jib,'  as  the  sailors  say,  I  took  him  to  be  a 
gambler,  and  one  of  the  sort  who  always  win." 

"Gambling  is  carried  on  everywhere  just  now,"  I  said. 
"  You  can  find  any  number  of  gamblers  at  Galena,  or 
Rockford.  In  fact,  every  little  place  seems  to  have  its 
gambling  hell.  Do  you  remember  his  friend's  name?  I 
wonder  if  I  know  him." 

"I  have  his  name  here,"  said  John.  "I  gave  him  a 
pass,  too." 

As  he  spoke,  he  drew  out  a  note-book  and  showed  me 
the  entry : 

"  Blake  and  lady  —  Belvidere  to  Rockford,  with  pass." 

"  So,  that's  the  way  you  do  things,  is  it  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  Yes  ;  we  are  not  very  particular  now.  Old  Frink  tells 
us  to  be  liberal  with  the  good  drivers,  and  grant  them 
small  favors.  Good  drivers  are  hard  to  find,  and  while 
business  is  so  brisk,  we  need  all  we  can  get.  Hence,  we 
lose  nothing  by  treating  them  well." 

Now,  I  was  close  on  their  track.  Blake  got  a  pass  to 
Rockford,  and  Sloan,  to  Janesville.  It  seemed  strange 
that  such  men  did  not  know  enough  to  get  off  the  beaten 
routes  of  travel,  and  endeavor  to  hide  more  effectually. 
I  concluded  that  they  had  little  fear  of  detection,  and  still 
less  of  pursuit,  and,  therefore,  proposed  to  take  things 
easily.  I  did  not  imagine  for  an  instant  the  extent  of 


THE  TWO  SISTERS ;  OR,   THE  AVENGER.       199 

Blake's  villainy,  nor  his  real  reason  for  frequenting  the 
large  towns. 

On  arriving  in  Belvidere,  I  went  to  the  American  House, 
as  I  was  well  acquainted  with  the  proprietor,  Mr.  Irish ; 
from  him  I  soon  learned  that  Blake's  party  had  stopped 
there  one  day. 

"  Blake  is  a  pretty  good  fellow,  isn't  he,  Mr.  Irish  ?  "  I 
asked. 

"  Yes  ;  he  seems  to  be  a  good  fellow.  He  knows  how 
to  play  cards;  he  never  lost  a  game,  while  here." 

"  Well,  it  would  be  hard  to  find  a  man  in  Belvidere  who 
could  get  away  with  him  at  cards,"  said  I.  "  Did  his  wife 
come  down  into  the  parlor  and  associate  with  the  other 
ladies?" 

"  No,  indeed.  But  I  must  hurry  away,  as  the  stages  are 
soon  going  out.  Are  you  going  west  ?  " 

"  No,"  I  replied ;  "  I  may  take  a  buggy  and  drive  out  a 
few  miles,  but  I  am  not  sure  what  I  shall  do.  Oh !  one 
more  question  before  you  go.  Did  Blake  make  much 
money  here  ?  " 

"I  guess  he  did;  and  that  reminds  me  —  I  think  King 
went  up  to  Mrs.  Blake's  room  while  Blake  was  playing," 
said  Irish. 

As  he  spoke,  he  gave  a  knowing  laugh,  and  poked  me 
with  his  finger  in  the  ribs. 

"  Is  it  possible  !  "  said  I.     "  How  long  did  he  stay?  " 
u  About  an  hour.    You  know,  King  has  plenty  of  money, 
and  I  presume  he  treated  the  lady  liberally.     When  he 
came  down,  he  went  into  the  room  where  Blake  was  gam 
bling,  and  ordered  drinks  for  the  crowd." 


200          PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

"  After  King  went  away,  did  any  one  else  go  to  Mrs. 
Blake's  room?  "  I  asked. 

"  I  think  not,"  replied  Irish.  "  It  was  after  eleven 
o'clock  before  King  came  down,  and  Blake  went  to  bed 
by  midnight.  Blake  is  a  good  fellow,  and  I  would  like  to 
have  him  for  a  regular  boarder,  as  he  is  generous  with  his 
cash." 

"  Well,"  said  I,  as  Irish  moved  off,  "  I  believe  I'll  change 
my  mind,  and  go  on  to  Galena  by  the  next  stage.  I  shall 
spend  the  night  at  Pecatonica ;  if  there  is  anything  I  can 
do  for  you,  let  me  know." 

What  a  terrible  revelation  had  been  made  to  me  in  this 
short  conversation !  I  knew  King  well  as  an  infamous 
libertine.  What  was  the  business  that  kept  him  in  Mary's 
room  for  over  an  hour?  I  had  to  shudder  at  the  only 
answer  that  could  be  given.  From  all  I  could  learn,  the 
girls  were  kept  constantly  in  a  comatose  state,  which, 
together  with  the  terror  with  which  Blake  and  Sloan  had 
inspired  them,  had  prevented  them  from  attempting  to 
escape,  or  asking  assistance.  Mary,  undoubtedly,  had 
been  made  wholly  insensible,  before  King  was  admitted 
to  her  room.  He  was  a  rich,  but  unscrupulous  brute,  fit 
for  any  crime,  and  the  more  revolting  to  nature  it  was,  the 
more  he  would  delight  in  it. 

This  terrible  discovery  filled  me  with  horror,  and  I 
determined  to  lose  not  a  moment  in  freeing  the  sisters 
from  their  brutal  captors. 


CHAPTER    XL 

FIVE  stages  were  on  the  point  of  starting  for  Rockford, 
and  I  took  a  seat  beside  the  driver  of  one  of  them. 
The  night  was  dark,  and  the  road  was  none  of  the  best,  so 
that  we  seemed  to  creep  along  at  a  snail's  pace.  I  was 
impatient  to  grasp  the  villains,  and  rescue  the  sisters  from 
their  terrible  position. 

The  driver  of  the  stage  was  a  pleasant,  genial  fellow; 
in  conversation  with  him,  I  found  that  he  knew  Sloan,  but 
that  he  had  not  seen  him  for  a  day  or  two.  I  was  rather 
disconcerted  at  this  news,  as  I  had  hoped  to  find  the 
whole  party  in  Rockford.  It  was  about  half-past  eight 
o'clock  when  we  entered  Rockford,  and  drove  up  before 
the  Washington  House,  where  the  stages  usually  stopped. 

I  did  not  know  how  I  should  be  received  here.  Only 
six  months  before,  I  had  obtained  the  necessary  evidence 
to  convict  some  counterfeiters,  who  had  a  haunt  in  Win- 
nebago  County.  With  the  assistance  of  the  United  States 
Marshal,  I  had  arrested  them  and  taken  them  to  Chicago. 
I  believed  at  the  time  that  the  landlord  of  the  Washington 
House  was,  in  some  way,  in  the  interest  of  the  gang; 
hence,  I  was  rather  suspicious  of  him.  I  determined  not 
to  trust  him  at  all,  but  to  take  a  room,  and  make  my 
investigations  quietly. 

Accordingly,  I  sauntered  up  to  the  register,  entered  my 
name,  and  glanced  over  the  list  of  the  arrivals  for  a  few 


202          PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

days  back.  I  found  that  Blake  and  lady  had  been  given 
room  number  five ;  and  Sloan  and  lady,  room  number 
nine.  I  then  ate  supper  and  loitered  around  the  barn, 
until  I  met  the  hostler.  I  asked  him  whether  he  knew 
Sloan.  He  said  yes  ;  but  that  he  had  not  seen  him  for  a 
day  or  two.  Finding  that  nothing  could  be  done  that 
night,  I  went  to  bed,  pretty  well  tired  out. 

Early  the  next  morning  (Saturday),  I  met  the  landlord ; 
and,  as  I  shook  hands  with  him,  I  said,  quietly : 

"  Don't  talk  with  me,  nor  let  any  one  know  who  I  am. 
I  want  to  get  some  more  evidence  against  those  counter 
feiters,  and  don't  wish  any  one  to  know  me.  I  may  be 
here  for  two  or  three  days  ;  so,  please  keep  mum  for  the 
present." 

"  All  right,"  said  he,  and  after  taking  a  drink  with  me, 
he  moved  off. 

I  placed  more  confidence  in  the  clerk  than  in  the  land 
lord,  but  I  thought  best  to  tell  him  the  same  story.  I 
then  lounged  about  the  hall,  and  saw  every  one  who  came 
to  breakfast ;  but  none  of  the  parties  I  was  seeking  made 
their  appearance. 

About  ten  o'clock,  I  went  over  to  the  stage  barn,  to 
see  what  information  might  be  learned  about  Sloan.  After 
a  time,  I  made  the  acquaintance  of  the  driver  who  had 
taken  Sloan  and  Alice  to  Janesville.  By  treating  him  to 
whisky  and  cigars,  I  succeeded  in  making  him  talkative 
and  friendly ;  then,  I  ventured  to  ask  after  Sloan. 

"  Oh  !  Sloan  went  up  to  Janesville  with  me  Thursday 
week,"  said  the  driver.  "He  had  a  mighty  fine  girl  with 
him,  and  she  will  make  him  a  splendid  wife  ;  but,  after 
all,  he  is  a  very  shiftless  fellow,  and  it  is  a  pity  to  see  such 


THE  TWO  SISTERS;  OR,   THE  AVENGER.      203 

a  nice  girl  throw  herself  away  on  him.  To  my  mind,  she 
is  sick  of  her  bargain,  already.  Why,  she  never  spoke  to 
him  during  the  whole  trip." 

"  So,  you  took  them  to  Janesville,  did  you  ?" 

"  Yes  ;  that's  my  run.  I  saw  Sloan  yesterday,  and  shall 
see  him  the  next  time  I  go  up.  Who  shall  I  say  was  ask 
ing  for  him?" 

I  pretended  not  to  hear  his  question;  since,  if  I  should 
give  my  real  name,  Sloan  would  immediately  take  the 
alarm ;  and,  if  I  gave  a  fictitious  name,  it  would  almost 
certainly  be  strange  to  Sloan,  and  his  suspicions  might  be 
excited.  I,  therefore,  tided  over  the  difficulty  by  asking 
the  driver  to  take  another  drink ;  and,  as  the  dinner  hour 
had  arrived,  I  bade  him  good-day  and  walked  away. 

I  ate  dinner  very  slowly  and  kept  my  seat  until  all  the 
other  boarders  had  finished.  I  carefully  scrutinized  the 
features  of  every  one,  but  saw  no  one  that  would  corres 
pond  to  the  description  of  Blake,  or  Mary. 

My  reticence  and  my  strict  rule  against  letting  any  one 
know  my  business,  made  my  search  slower  and  more  diffi 
cult — but,  at  the  same  time,  more  certain — than  as  if  I 
had  taken  the  landlord  or  clerk  into  my  confidence.  But 
I  was  determined  not  to  risk  even  the  possibility  of  giving 
Blake  the  alarm ;  so,  I  worked  entirely  unassisted. 

I  knew  where  there  was  a  gambling  saloon  on  the  east 
side  of  the  river,  and  I  decided  to  pay  it  a  visit.  I, 
accordingly,  walked  to  it,  entered  the  bar-room,  and  sat 
down,  ordering  a  glass  of  whisky  and  a  cigar.  There 
was  a  crowd  in  the  bar-room,  but  I  sat  quietly  smoking 
and  listening  to  the  talk  around  me.  The  afternoon  slip 
ped  away  without  any  new  developements;  and,  as  it 


204          PINKERTON^S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

began  to  grow  dark,  the  crowd  gradually  thinned  out, 
until  I  was  almost  alone. 

Finally  my  patience  was  rewarded.  Shortly  ahd  five 
o'clock,  four  men  came  down  from  the  gambling  rooms 
which,  I  knew,  were  up  stairs.  I  immediately  picked  out 
one  of  them  as  Blake.  He  answered  the  description  per 
fectly.  His  fine  appearance  and  showy  jewelry  were 
unmistakable,  and  I  knew  that  the  man  I  was  seeking, 
was  before  me.  He  was  a  representative  specimen  of 
the  professional  gambler.  His  companions  were  not  pro 
fessionals,  but  wealthy  men  who  gambled  for  amusement. 
They  called  for  drinks  at  the  bar,  and  then  two  of  them 
went  out,  leaving  Blake  and  the  remaining  member  of  the 
party  sipping  their  liquor,  with  their  backs  turned  toward 
me.  By  this  time,  I  was  sitting  back,  apparently  sound 
asleep  ;  and,  though  I  was  quite  near  them,  they  took  no 
notice  of  me,  so  that  I  was  able  to  overhear  their  remarks. 

"Call  at  ten  o'clock,"  said  Blake,  "  and  I  will  have  all 
arranged.  She  will  be  asleep  by  that  time." 

Good  Heavens  !  could  I  have  heard  aright !  Blake  was 
deliberately  planning  to  give  his  pure  and  innocent  vic 
tim  into  the  power  of  another  lustful  brute  ! 

"  By  the  Eternal !  I  will  end  it  now !"  I  muttered,  as  I 
started  to  my  feet.  But  the  folly  of  my  course  flashed 
across  me  instantly,  and  I  sat  down  again,  fortunately 
unobserved  by  them.  It  would  not  do  to  act  in  my  then 
excited  state. 

"Ten  o'clock?"  said  Blake's  companion.  "All  right; 
I  will  be  there  without  fail." 


THE   TWO  SISTERS;  OR,   THE  A  VENGER.       205 

"  The  door  will  be  locked ;  but  you  knock,  and  I  will 
let  you  in,"  said  Blake,  as  his  friend  went  out.* 

Blake  conversed  a  few  minutes  with  the  bar-keeper, 
paid  for  the  drinks,  and  walked  out.  I  allowed  him  to 
go  some  distance  ahead  of  me,  and  then  kept  him  in 
sight.  He  walked  to  the  Washington  House  and  entered 
the  hall  door.  I  quickened  my  pace  and  ran  up  the  steps 
only  a  moment  bejiind  him.  I  hurried  into  the  bar-room, 
but  he  was  not  there.  I  then  went  up  stairs  and  found 
number  five,  which  was  a  suite  of  rooms,  with  two  doors 
opening  into  the  hall.  Before  I  could  get  out  of  the  way, 
Blake  opened  his  door  and  looked  out.  I  was  obliged  to 
walk  into  a  room,  the  door  of  which  was  fortunately 
unlocked,  and  pretend  that  it  was  my  room.  I  waited 
there  until  all  was  quiet,  and  then  slipped  out,  noiselessly. 
It  was  now  nearly  six  o'clock,  and  I  went  to  my  own  room 
to  reflect  upon  what  course  to  pursue. 

At  this  moment,  I  recollected  that  I  had  no  warrant 
upon  which  to  arrest  Blake.  I  had  a  justice's  warrant, 
issued  in  Coldwater,  Michigan,  for  the  arrest  of  Blake 

*  By  a  peculiar  coincidence,  just  at  the  time  that  this  agreement 
was  made,  the  nephew  of  Sheriff  Church  entered  the  latter's  office  in 
Chicago  and  said  that  he  had  just  come  in  from  Rockford.  In  the 
course  of  the  conversation,  he  told  Sheriff  Church  that  there  was  a 
gambler  in  Rockford,  who  was  cleaning  out  all  the  other  gamblers 
there.  He  added :  "  The  money  that  the  man  doesn't  win,  in  one 
way,  his  wife  obtains,  in  another.  She  is  said  to  be  a  beautiful 
woman  ;  but  it  takes  one  hundred  dollars  to  make  her  acquaint 
ance." 

Of  course,  Church  did  not  think  of  Mary  in  this  connection,  as  the 
possibility  that  the  girls  might  have  been  separated  did  not  occur  to 
him. 


206  PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

and  Sloan ;  but  this  paper  was  useless  in  Illinois.  Nev 
ertheless,  I  had  heard  the  bargain  made  to  let  a  brute  into 
Mary's  room  that  night,  and  I  determined  that  that  crime 
should  never  be  permitted^  I  would  arrest  Blake  or  die 
in  the  attempt. 

I  confess  that  I  had  never  been  so  excited  before.  I 
had  been  deeply  affected  by  William's  story;  I  had  heard 
of  Mary's  sale  to  King  in  Belvidere ;  and,  now  that  the 
incarnate  fiend  was  about  to  give  her  over  to  another 
man,  I  was  ready  to  take  the  law  in  my  own  hands,  if 
necessary,  to  prevent  the  outrage. 

I  had  no  one  to  assist  me  in  making  the  arrest.  It  is 
true,  I  had  many  friends  in  Rockford  ;  but  they  all  lived 
across  the  river,  and  I  had  not  been  in  West  Rockford 
during  the  day.  I  decided  to  arrest  Blake  at  once,  how 
ever,  relying  on  the  justice  of  my  case.  After  supper, 
therefore,  I  wrote  a  note  to  the  sheriff,  with  whom  I  was 
slightly  acquainted,  asking  him  to  come  immediately  to 
the  Washington  House,  on  very  important  business.  I 
sent  the  note  by  a  safe  messenger  and  then  went  to  my 
room  to  get  my  pistols.  I  put  one  in  each  pocket  of  my 
pantaloons  and  went  down  stairs,  taking  a  position  in 
front  of  the  hotel.  I  was  now  perfectly  cool,  and  was 
only  awaiting  the  arrival  of  the  sheriff,  to  assist  me  in 
arresting  Blake. 


CHAPTER    XII. 

THE  minutes  slipped  rapidly  away,  and  by  half-past 
eight  o'clock,  I  began  to  get  excited  again.  Time 
was  precious;  Blake's  appointment  had  been  made  for  ten 
o'clock  ;  but  the  man  might  come  earlier.  I  had  no  over 
coat  on  ;  so,  I  went  into  the  hotel,  to  wait  for  the  sheriff. 
In  a  few  minutes,  I  resolved  to  take  some  decisive  action 
soon. 

I  walked  upstairs  and  opened  the  door  of  number 
five.  Blake  stood  in  the  middle  of  the  room,  beside  a 
table,  and  was  engaged  in  pouring  some  liquid  from  a 
bottle  into  a  tumbler.  He  had  evidently  just  finished 
writing  a  letter,  as  .one  lay  on  the  table  unsealed.  A  lady 
sat  in  the  shadow  near  the  window.  As  soon  as  Blake 
saw  me,  he  walked  towards  me. 

"  Oh  !  I  beg  pardon,"  I  said  ;  "  I  was  looking  for  num 
ber  seventeen." 

"  It  is  not  here,"  he  said,  in  a  hoarse  voice. 

"Please  excuse  me,"  I  added,  as  I  backed  out  of  the 
room  and  closed  the  door. 

In  a  second,  I  heard  him  bolt  it. 

"  That  is  bad,"  thought  I ;  "  but  I  know  they  are  there, 
and  that  Blake's  friend  has  not  arrived." 

I  had  just  obtained  a  glimpse  of  Mary.  She  looked 
very  haggard,  and  was  terribly  changed,  as  compared  with 
the  rosy,  beautiful  girl  who  had  been  described  to  me. 


208          PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

I  then  walked  down  to  the  street,  but  could  see  no  signs 
of  the  sheriff.  I  walked  as  far  as  the  bridge,  but  could 
not  see  him  coming. 

"  I  will  end  the  matter  now,"  I  muttered ;  "or  he  will 
end  me,  one  of  the  two.  I  must  have  the  girl  out  of 
danger  before  ten  o'clock." 

It  was  then  half-past  nine.  The  landlord  was  behind 
his  desk,  as  I  entered  the  office,  and  I  called  him  to  one 
side. 

"  I'll  tell  you  what  I  am  here  for,"  I  said.  "  I  have 
some  business  with  Mr.  Blake,  in  number  five.  You  may 
possibly  hear  some  noise,  but  don't  mind  it.  If  I  break 
anything,  I  will  pay  for  it.  I  have  sent  for  the  sheriff,  and 
I  expect  him  every  minute.  When  he  comes,  send  him 
up  to  the  room ;  but  let  no  one  else  come  up,  until  I 
call." 

"  All  right,  Pink.,"  said  he ;  "I  know  you  will  do  only 
what  is  right." 

I  had  a  light  coat  on,  and  was  unencumbered  with  any 
thing  which  could  place  me  at  a  disadvantage  in  a  struggle; 
so  I  walked  straight  up  to  number  five. 

I  gave  a  light  knock.  Blake  evidently  thought  his 
friend  had  come,  for  I  heard  him  moving  across  the  room. 
The  thought  flashed  into  my  mind : 

"  Perhaps  Mary  is  already  drugged  !     I  hope  not." 

Blake  opened  the  door.  In  a  second,  I  pushed  into  the 
room,  locked  the  door,  and  dropped  the  key  into  my 
pocket.  I  then  pointed  my  pistol  at  his  head. 

"  You  are  my  prisoner !  "  I  said,  in  a  stern  voice. 

The  betrayer  and  the  avenger  were,  now,  face  to  face. 


THE   TWO  SISTERS  ;  OR,   THE  AVENGER.       209 

He  started  back,  with  an  amazed  look,  and  made  a  quick 
motion  towards  his  pocket,  as  if  to  draw  a  weapon. 

"  Raise  your  hands  over  your  head,  and  go  to  the  other 
side  of  the  room,"  I  commanded.  "  I  will  kill  you  if  you 
attempt  to  draw  your  pistol." 

He  did  not  move. 

"  Will  you  go  back  ?  "  I  asked,  in  a  determined  tone. 
"  If  you  don't  go  this  instant,  you're  a  dead  man.  I  know 
you  are  armed.  Go  back  !  " 

He  went.  From  that  moment,  I  knew  he  was  a  coward. 
I  had  awed  him  by  my  commanding  tone  and  resolute 
look. 

As  he  moved  back,  Mary  rushed  toward  me. 

"  Oh  !  save  me  !  save  me  !  "  she  exclaimed.  "  May 
Heaven  protect  you  !  Oh  !  where  is  my  father !  where  is 
my  mother !  " 

As  she  spoke,  she  fainted  away  at  my  feet ;  but  I  could 
not  attend  to  her  then. 

"  Let  me  come  to  her,  I  will  revive  her,"  said  Blake; 
and  he  dropped  his  hands  by  his  side. 

"  Throw  your  hands  over  your  head  and  keep  them 
there,"  I  again  commanded;  he  quickly  obeyed. 

At  this  instant,  I  recollected  that  I  had  brought  no 
hand-cuffs  with  me.  They  are  almost  indispensable  in 
my  business ;  yet  I  had  forgotten  them. 

"  Blake,"  I  said,  "  keep  your  right  hand  over  your  head, 
take  out  your  pistol  with  your  left  hand,  and  lay  it  on  the 
table.  If  you  make  a  single  suspicious  move,  I  shall  kill 
you.  I  am  a  sure  shot,  and,  on  the  least  provocation,  a 
ball  will  go  crashing  through  your  brain." 

"Who  are  you  who  dare  talk  to  me  in  this  way?"  he 


210  PINKER  TON '  S  DETECTIVE  S TORIES. 

asked.     "  This  is  my  room  ;  that  lady  is  my  wife ;  what 
business  have  you  in  here  ?  " 

"  Pshaw  !  that  lady  your  wife  ?  That  lady  is  Mary 
Wells,  whom  you  have  abducted,  you  scoundrel.  Lay  down 
your  pistol,  or  take  the  consequences.  One  hand  only ; 
keep  the  other  over  your  head,"  I  continued,  as  he  began 
to  lower  both  hands. 

He  then  slipped  his  revolver  out  of  his  pocket  and  laid 
it  on  the  table. 

"  Back  again,  now,"  I  said  ;  and  he  obeyed.  I  stepped 
to  the  table  and  put  his  pistol  into  my  pocket. 

"You  see  that  I  have  the  advantage  of  you,"  I  went  on; 
"I  have  three  pistols  while  you  have  none." 

Then,  glancing  at  Mary,  who  was  just  recovering  con 
sciousness,  I  said : 

"  Raise  yourself,  Miss  Wells ;  I  cannot  help  you,  as  I 
must  look  out  for  Blake." 

She  raised  herself  and  moved  toward  me. 

"  Don't  touch  me,  now,"  I  said ;  u  1  don't  want  to  give 
Blake  a  chance  of  escape.  I  will  talk  to  you  bye-and- 
bye." 

Mary  staggered  back  and  fell  into  a  chair,  as  a  low 
knock  was  heard  at  the  door. 

"  Who  is  there ?"  I  asked;  but  there  was  no  answer. 
"  Who  is  there  ?  "  I  repeated,  thinking  it  might  be  the 
sheriff. 

A  fiendish  expression  of  delight  came  into  Blake's  face, 
and  then,  the  thought  flashed  into  my  mind  that  it  was 
Blake's  friend,  who  had  been  told  to  call  at  ten  o'clock. 

"Blake,"  I  said,  "that  is  your  friend,  to  whom  you 
agreed  to  deliver  Mary  at  ten  o'clock.  He  can  come  in, 


THE  TWO  SISTERS;  OR,    THE  AVENGER.       211 

if  he  likes,  as  I  have  pistols  enough  for  both  of  you.  You 
are  a  beast,  not  a  man." 

"  How  the  h — 1  did  you  know  a  man  was  to  have  been 
here  at  ten  o'clock?  "  he  asked,  in  a  surly,  but  surprised 
tone. 

"  Because  I  heard  you  make  the  bargain  with  him. 
Mary  was  to  have  been  asleep." 

"  How  long  are  you  going  to  keep  me  with  my  hands 
over  my  head  ?  "  he  asked. 

"Until  the  sheriff  comes  to  take  you  to  jail;  then, 
Mary,  I  will  be  ready  to  talk  to  you." 

"  I  may  as  well  give  up,"  he  muttered.  "  Your  d — d 
pistol  settled  me.  If  I  had  got  mine  out  first,  it  would 
have  been  very  different ;  but  I  admit  it  was  a  fair  game, 
and  I  am  caught.  I  know  that  I  have  wronged  Mary; 
that  I  have  ruined  her;  but  I  could  not  help  it." 

Mary  attempted  to  speak. 

"No,  Miss  Wells,"  I  said;  "don't  talk  now." 

Blake  continued : 

"  I  will  do  all  in  my  power  to  atone  for  my  crime.  I  have 
done  wrong,  indeed.  This  will  kill  my  wife.  I  may  as  well 
go  to  jail  quietly." 

I  had  given  up  all  hope  of  the  sheriff's  arrival ;  I  there 
fore,  decided  that  I  had  better  take  Blake  to  jail  myself. 
It  was  my  intention,  then,  to  come  back,  to  get  all  the 
information  possible  from  Mary.  I  further  expected  to 
start  for  Janesville  early  the  next  morning,  to  rescue  Alice 
and  capture  Sloan. 

I  glanced  hastily  at  Mary.  Her  appearance  was  pitia 
ble  in  the  extreme ;  her  face  was  perfectly  livid,  and  she 
seemed  absolutely  helpless. 


212  PINKER  TON'S  DE  TECTIVE  STORIES. 

"Blake,"  I  said,  "if  I  thought  I  could  trust  you  to  go 
quietly,  I  would  take  you  over  to  the  jail,  myself." 

"You  have  the  advantage,"  said  lie,  "and,  of  course, 
you  will  keep  it.  I  shall  make  no  resistance." 

"  I'll  do  it,"  said  I ;  "  but  mind  !  Just  as  surely  as  you 
attempt  to  escape,  I  will  shoot  you  down,  like  a  dog.  I 
shall  have  no  mercy  on  you  ;  and  if  you  attempt  any  treach 
ery,  you  will  be  a  dead  man  the  next  instant ;  be  assured 
of  that." 

"  I  will  go  peaceably,"  he  said,  "  there  is  no  use  in  try 
ing  to  resist ;  moreover,  I  want  to  keep  the  affair  quiet  for 
the  sake  of  my  wife  and  the  girls." 

"  Get  your  hat  and  come  along,  then." 

"Will  you  allow  me  to  get  an  overcoat?"  he  asked. 

"Yes,"  I  said,  as  I  knew  the  more  clothing  he  had  on, 
the  more  powerless  he  would  be. 

On  that  account,  I  always  have  made  it  a  practice  to  go 
without  an  overcoat,  and  have  hardened  myself  to  stand 
a  great  deal  of  cold  without  suffering. 

I  stood  with  my  back  against  the  door,  while  Blake 
went  into  the  adjoining  room  to  get  his  overcoat.  Mary 
said,  in  a  quick,  excited  manner : 

"  He  will  make  his  escape  from  that  room,  and  he  has 
a  knife  in  his  pocket." 

I  sprang  to  the  door  connecting  the  two  rooms,  and 
said: 

"  Come  in  here !  What  knife  was  that  you  put  in  your 
pocket?" 

"It  is  a  lie,"  he  replied;  "I  did  not  put  a  knife  in  my 
pocket." 

"  Lay  your  coat  down  on  the  table,"  I  said. 


THE  TWO  SISTERS ;  OR,   THE  AVENGER.       213 

He  did  not  obey,  but  looked  as  if  he  would  like  to 
rebel. 

"  Blake,  lay  your  coat  down  and  raise  your  hands  above 
your  head." 

He  saw,  by  my  eye,  that  I  was  not  to  be  trifled  with, 
and  he  obeyed.  I  examined  the  coat,  but  found  no  knife. 

"  Blake,  what  have  you  done  with  your  knife?"  I  asked. 

"She  is  a  liar;  I  have  no  knife,"  he  answered. 

Mary  raised  her  head,  and  said : 

"  Yes,  he  has  ;  it  is  concealed  in  the  pocket  of  his 
pants.  He  means  to  kill  either  you  or  me  with  it." 

"  Hand  me  that  knife,"  I  said,  firmly,  "  or  I  will  spatter 
the  room  with  your  brains." 

With  a  sullen  oath,  he  drew  a  fine  bowie-knife  from  his 
pocket,  and  pitched  it  toward  me. 

"Have  a  care,  Blake,"  said  I.  "You  should  not  throw 
a  knife  in  that  way.  I  know  you  wouldn't  hurt  me  for 
the  world,  but  I  advise  you  to  be  more  polite  in  future." 

I  picked  up  the  knife  and  handed  it  to  Mary. 

"  Keep  that  until  I  come  back,"  I  said.  "  I  shall  return 
in  three-quarters  of  an  hour,  and  you  had  better  keep  the 
door  locked,  while  I  am  gone." 

The  man  whom  Blake  had  agreed  to  let  in,  had  been 
gone  for  some  time.  I,  therefore,  apprehended  no  attempt 
at  a  rescue,  unless  Blake  should  get  help  in  passing  some 
of  the  saloons.  Many  of  these  drinking  holes  were  still 
open,  it  being  Saturday  night,  and  only  a  little  after  ten 
o'clock.  Still  I  did  not  fear  any  such  attempt.  Blake 
then  put  on  his  overcoat ;  I  grasped  him  by  the  right 
arm  with  my  left  hand,  and  held  my  revolver  in  my  right 
hand,  ready  to  give  him  the  contents,  if  he  attempted  to 

15 


214          PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

escape.  He  was  a  muscular,  powerful  man,  and  I  did  not 
propose  to  give  him  a  chance  to  grapple  with  me. 

We  met  no  one  on  the  stairs,  as  we  went  down,  but  I 
saw  about  a  dozen  persons  in  the  bar-room.  The  hotel 
was  raised  three  or  four  steps  above  the  sidewalk,  and,  as 
we  passed  out  of  the  hall  door,  Blake  went  down  the  steps 
so  quickly  as  to  make  me  jump  the  whole  distance,  in 
order  to  keep  hold  of  him. 

"  If  you  make  another  attempt  to  escape,"  I  said,  "  you 
must  take  the  consequences." 

"I  wasn't  trying  to  escape,"  he  replied;  "I  don't  wish 
to  be  seen  by  any  of  the  boarders." 

A  short  distance  down  the  street,  we  passed  two  men, 
and  I  heard  one  of  them  say : 

"  The  river  is  rising  rapidly,  and  it  will  sweep  away  the 
bridge  before  morning." 

"Good  God!"  I  thought,  "what  shall  I  do,  if  I  can't 
cross  the  bridge !" 

In  a  few  moments,  we  came  in  sight  of  the  bridge  ;  I 
then  saw  that  two  of  the  spans  had  already  been  washed 
away,  and  that  communication  was  kept  up  by  a  single 
plank,  thrown  across  from  pier  to  pier.  I,  afterwards, 
learned  that  the  two  spans  had  been  washed  away  about 
two  weeks  before.  This  night,  however,  there  was  danger 
that  even  the  foot-planks  might  be  carried  off. 


1 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

AS  we  neared  the  river  I  said  : 
"Blake,  we  cannot  cross." 

While  I  was  in  the  act  of  speaking,  Blake  swung  him 
self  quickly  around,  facing  me,  and  struck  me  a  tremen 
dous  blow  between  the  eyes.  I  should  have  fallen,  had  I 
not  seized  the  lapel  of  his  coat.  Although  it  tore  off,  as 
he  darted  away,  I  kept  my  footing  by  means  of  the  pull ; 
but,  for  a  second,  I  could  see  nothing  but  fire.  Then  the 
shock  passed  off,  and  I  saw  Blake  rushing  swiftly  up  the 
street.  I  dashed  after  him,  instantly,  leaving  my  hat 
behind,  and  shouted  : 

"Stop  thief!  stop  thief  !" 

The  crowds  in  the  saloons  began  to  pour  out,  and  all 
was  excitement.  I  was  a  swift  runner,  and  felt  sure  of 
catching  my  man.  He  ran  due  east  for  a  time,  and  then, 
turning  north,  passed  through  a  street  lined  with  trees. 
He  had  a  good  start  of  me,  and  was  rapidly  nearing  the 
woods  on  the  edge  of  the  town.  I  had  a  clear  view  of 
him,  as  he  ran,  so  I  raised  my  pistol  and  shouted : 

"  Stop  !  or  you  are  a  dead  man  !" 

He  did  not  answer,  but  kept  on  running;  so,  I  took  a 
hurried  aim  and  fired. 

"  Confound  it !  have  I  lost  that  shot !"  I  muttered.  I 
again  sighted  at  him  and  fired,  as  I  continued  the  chase. 

Some  one  at  my  side  said : 


216  PINKERTOXTS  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

"For  God's  sake!  Pinkerton,  stop  firing!     Don't  you  ^ 
see  that  you  have  killed  me?"  /^          .- 

Just  as  Blake  said  this,  he  staggered  and  fell  down, 
close  by  the  fence.  I  found  that  my  first  shot  had  taken 
effect ;  the  second,  I  found  in  the  trunk  of  a  tree,  next 
morning. 

"Get  up!"  I  said  to  Blake,  in  a  harsh  tone;  "  I  told 
you  I  would  shoot  you,  if  you  tried  to  escape,  and  now  I 
have  done  it." 

He  tried  to  rise,  but  could  not.  By  this  time,  the  crowd 
from  the  saloons  had  come  up.  Some  one  said  : 

"  Blake,  who  shot  you  ?" 

Seeing  that  there  were  many  of  Blake's  old  chums  in 
the  crowd,  some  of  whom  were  dangerous-looking  charac 
ters,  I  raised  Blake  up  and  said : 

"  He  is  my  prisoner." 

At  this,  the  crowd  fell  back;  but,  at  my  request,  four 
of  them  raised  him  up  and  conveyed  him  to  a  small  tavern, 
near  by,  where  he  was  laid  on  a  lounge.  He  was  then 
insensible,  and  medical  aid  was  at  once  called.  I  remained 
with  him  to  hear  the  surgeon's  report;  and,  once,  Blake 
opened  his  eyes  and  muttered : 

"  Pinkerton,  I  will  kill  you  yet!"  to  which  I  made  no 
reply. 

In  a  few  minutes,  two  doctors  arrived  and  probed 
Blake's  wound.  It  was  on  the  right  side  of  the  spine, 
near  the  small  of  the  back,  and  they  immediately  said 
that  he  could  not  live  more  than  a  day  or  two.  By  this 
time,  a  great  crowd  had  gathered  around  the  tavern  door; 
and,  as  I  passed  out,  several  voices  cried  out : 

"There  goes  the  murderer!" 


THE  TWO  SISTERS;  OR,   THE  A  VENGER,       217 

"  Send  for  the  sheriff,"  I  replied;  "  I  will  answer  to  the 
proper  authorities." 

I  then  went  back  into  the  tavern  and  wrote  a  note  to 
Mr.  Holland,  a  lawyer,  asking  him  to  meet  me  at  the 
Washington  House,  as  soon  as  possible.  Having  sent 
this  note,  I  started  for  the  hotel.  The  streets  were  filled 
with  people,  all  in  a  state  of  great  excitement,  and  my 
situation  was  neither  pleasant  nor  safe. 

On  reaching  the  hotel,  I  went  up  to  see  Mary.  I 
knocked  at  the  door,  and  she  immediately  let  me  in. 
She  was  crying  quietly,  and  was,  evidently,  very  weak. 

"Mary,"  I  asked,  "what  is  in  that  phial?"  and  I  pointed 
to  the  one  I  had  seen  in  Blake's  hand. 

"I  don't  know,"  she  replied.  "Blake  always  poured  a 
few  drops  out  of  it  into  our  wine,  when  he  wished  to  make 
us  sleep." 

"  Mary,"  I  said,  "  you  must  not  get  excited  at  what  I 
am  going  to  tell  you.  Blake  is  shot.  I  had  to  shoot  him 
to  prevent  his  escape.  I  had  no  alternative,  as  he  would 
have  got  into  the  woods." 

She  said  nothing,  but  continued  to  weep,  even  more 
bitterly  than  before.  The  thought  flashed  across  me: 
<f  Can  it  be  possible  that  she  cared  for  this  handsome 
scoundrel  ?"  and  I  said  : 

"  You  do  not  feel  angry  with  me,  because  I  have  done 
this,  do  you  ?" 

"Oh  !  no  sir;  it  is  not  anger  that  makes  me  weep  ;  but 
oh !  how  horrible  it  is,  to  think  of  him  being  ushered  into 
eternity  with  all  his  sins  unrepented  of!  I  have  not  words 
to  express  my  gratitude  to  you  for  your  kindness  in  res 
cuing  me,  and  I  hope  no  harm  will  come  to  you." 


218  PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

At  this  moment,  the  sheriff  and  several  citizens  entered 
the  room.  I  took  the  sheriff  into  an  adjoining  room, 
closed  the  door,  and  told  him  all  that  had  happened.  I 
then  asked  him  to  go  over  to  the  tavern  and  secure  the 
papers  on  Blake's  person ;  I  felt  sure  that  some  evidence 
of  his  guilt  would  be  found  on  him.  I,  also,  called  Mary 
into  the  room  and  asked  her  whether  she  knew  where 
Alice  was. 

"  No,  sir ;  Sloan  took  her  away  last  Thursday  week  ; 
but  I  don't  know  where  they  went.  Blake  was  writing  a 
letter  to  Sloan,  this  evening,  and  I  think  he  has  it  in  his 
pocket,  now." 

"  I  know  where  Alice  is,"  I  said;  "Sloan  took  her  to 
Janesville.  Sheriff,  you  would  oblige  me  very  much,  by 
getting  Blake's  papers.  You  need  not  fear  that  I  shall 
run  away." 

Mr.  Holland,  my  lawyer,  came  in,  at  this  moment,  and 
I  explained  my  case  to  him.  He  shook  me  warmly  by 
the  hand  and  said  : 

"  It  will  give  me  great  pleasure  to  defend  you.  I,  not 
only,  sympathize  with  you  heartily,  but  wholly  approve 
your  course.  You  will  have  more  friends  in  Rockford 
than  ever  before." 

Mr.  Holland  and  the  sheriff  then  went  over  to  obtain 
Blake's  papers.  They  found  the  streets  crowded  with 
people,  as  the  shooting  had  been  plainly  heard,  and  every 
one  was  anxious  to  learn  the  cause  of  the  trouble.  Dur 
ing  the  sheriff's  absence,  I  advised  the  people  who  had 
crowded  into  the  hotel,  to  go  away  quietly ;  .and  they, 
finally,  did  so.  I  induced  Mary  to  lie  down  to  get  some 
sleep,  and  the  landlord,  at  my  request,  sent  a  girl  to  stay 
with  her. 


THE  TWO  SISTERS;  OR,   THE  AVENGER.       219 

I  was  just  about  to  retire,  when  a  gentleman  asked  to 
see  me.  He  proved  'to  be  the  pastor  of  the  Methodist 
church  in  Rockford ;  he  stated  that,  having  heard,  briefly, 
from  the  sheriff,  the  story  of  Mary's  wrongs,  he  had  come 
to  offer  to  take  her  to  his  own  home,  until  her  family 
should  arrive,  to  take  care  of  her.  The  hotel  was  so 
noisy,  and  the  excitement  was  so  bad  for  Mary,  that  I 
thankfully  accepted  his  kind  offer.  I,  therefore,  procured 
a  carriage,  and  Mary  was,  at  once,  conveyed  to  the  minis 
ter's  house. 

Meanwhile,  the  sheriff  had  searched  Blake's  clothing^ 
and  the  following  letter  was  found  : 

"  FRIEND  SLOAN  :  I  am  just  coining  money.  Mary  has 
several  admirers,  and  I  often  have  two  gentlemen  up  to 
see  her  of  a  night.  She  is  getting  d — d  pale,  but  all  the 
gentlemen  pronounce  her  a  regular  beauty. 

"  I  have  my  eye  on  two  stunning  girls  in  West  Rock- 
ford  ;  and  we  will  get  them  to  go  out  on  the  plains  with 
us,  when  we  take  Mary  and  Alice  to  the  *  diggins.'  If 
they  won't  come  willingly,  we  know  how  to  make  them. 

"  Are  you  doing  well  with  Alice  ?  I  am  making  more 
money  out  of  this  speculation  than  out  of  any  I  ever 
attempted  before. 

"Yours,  etc.,  BLAKE." 

The  sheriff  brought  this  letter  to  me,  and  went  off  with 
out  locking  me  up  ;  although  I  advised  him  to  arrest  me, 
as  a  matter  of  form. 

"  After  reading  that  letter,"  said  he,  "  there  is  no  power 
on  earth  that  could  make  me  arrest  you." 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

IT  was  nearly  four  o'clock  before  I  went  to  bed,  but  by 
six,   I   was   up.     I,  at  once,  sent  the    following   dis 
patch  to  Sheriff  Church  : 

"  SHERIFF  W.  L.  CHURCH,  Chicago : 

"  I  arrested  Blake  last  night.  He  broke  away  from  me 
and  ran  for  the  woods.  After  a  sharp  race,  I  fired  two 
shots  at  him.  The  first  ball  entered  his  back  and  passed 
through  his  body.  The  doctors  pronounce  the  wound 
fatal.  A  letter  to  Sloan,  found  on  his  person,  stated  that 
he  had  two  Rockford  girls  under  his  eye,  whom  he 
intended  to  debauch  and  take  to  California.  Send  Wil 
liam  and  Deputy-Sheriff  Green  by  first  train.  Sloan  and 
Alice  are  at  Janesville.  Will  leave  for  Belvidere  as  soon 
as  possible.  I  want  Alice  here.  Fear  Mary  will  be  sick. 
She  asks  all  the  time  for  her  father  and  William. 

"  ALLAN   PINKERTON." 

Having  sent  the  dispatch,  I  ate  breakfast,  and  then, 
paid  a  visit  to  all  the  clergymen  on  both  sides  of  the 
river.  I  narrated  the  particulars  of  the  outrage  that  had 
been  perpetrated  on  the  girls ;  spoke  of  their  innocence 
and  beauty,  and  of  the  hellish  means  used  to  destroy 
them ;  called  attention  to  the  letter  found  on  Blake's 
person,  in  which  he  spoke  of  an  intention  to  debauch  two 
Rockford  girls ;  and,  in  fact,  laid  bare  the  whole  vile 
scheme,  which  had  been  successfully  carried  out,  in  part. 


THE  TWO  SISTERS;  OR,   THE  AVENGER.       221 

The  clergymen,  unanimously,  approved  of  my  course. 
In  their  morning  discourses,  they  gave  their  congrega 
tions  a  short  sketch  of  Blake's  wicked  plots,  and  offered 
devout  thanks  that  he  had  been  stopped  in  his  career  of 
crime,  before  he  had  had  the  opportunity  to  carry  out  his 
designs  on  the  two  Rockford  girls.  Prayer  was  offered 
up  for  Mary  and  Alice  ;  also,  for  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wells,  that 
they  might  be  given  strength  to  bear  up  under  their  terri 
ble  affliction.  In  this  way,  Mary's  sad  story  was  con 
veyed  to  all  the  church-going  people  in  Rockford,  and 
many  ladies  called  that  day  at  the  Methodist  parsonage, 
to  offer  their  services. 

During  the  forenoon,  I  called  to  see  Mary,  and  found 
that  she  was  quite  delirious.  At  times,  Blake  would 
appear  to  her ;  the  fearful  events  of  the  first  stormy  night 
would  float  before  her;  and  she  would  shudder  and 
almost  faint  with  agony.  Again,  she  thought  she  was  on 
the  cars,  making  the  forced  trip,  and  she  suddenly 
startled  every  one  by  a  piercing  cry  for  Alice.  Then  she 
was  at  home,  with  her  father,  mother,  and  William,  and 
her  pleasant  smiles  showed  that  all  was  peace,  purity, 
and  happiness. 

A  physician  stayed  with  her  all  the  time ;  as  I  left,  he 
went  to  the  door  with  me  and  said  that  she  had  no  appe 
tite,  and  was  running  down  fast.  He  wished  that  her 
sister  would  come,  as  Alice  would  have  more  influence 
over  her,  than  strangers,  although  the  Rockford  ladies 
were  doing  everything  in  their  power.  She  had  youth 
and  a  good  constitution  on  her  side,  however,  and  might 
pull  through. 

I  returned  to  the  Washington  House,  and  as  I  passed 


222  PINKER  TON '  S  DE  TE  CTrVE  S  TOR  IE  S. 

some  of  the  groggeries,  the  loafers,  congregated  in  front 
of  them,  jeered  at  me,  and  called  me  a  murderer.  One 
bloated  sot  swaggered  up  to  me  and  said : 

"  So,  you  are  the  murderer,  are  you  ?  D — n  you,  I  will 
put  a  ball  through  you  !" 

I  turned  on  him  and  calmly  said  : 

"  I  don't  know  you,  nor  do  I  wish  to ;  but  if  you  give 
me  cause,  I  will  shoot  you,  too.  I  will  show  the  people 
of  Rockford  what  kind  of  a  man  you  are,"  and  I  advanced 
toward  him. 

He  was,  evidently,  a  cowardly  braggart,  for  he  slunk 
away  into  the  crowd,  and  said  no  more. 

Sunday  was  a  busy  day  with  me,  as  people  came  in  to 
see  me  every  minute.  All  the  respectable  people  of  the 
community  were  anxious  to  express  to  me  their  approval 
of  my  actions. 

At  seven  o'clock  in  the  evening,  a  carriage  drove  up, 
and,  to  my  astonishment,  William  and  Deputy-Sheriff 
Green  jumped  out.  Immediately  on  receipt  of  my  dis 
patch,  in  Chicago,  they  had  obtained  a  special  train, 
which  had  brought  them  to  Belvidere ;  there,  they  had 
hired  a  carriage,  in  which  they  had  come  to  Rockford. 

I  was  delighted  to  see  them,  and,  after  a  hasty  supper, 
I  took  William  to  see  Mary.  I  impressed  upon  him  the 
necessity  of  being  perfectly  calm,  and  then  led  him  into 
her  room.  Mary  was  propped  up  with  pillows  in  a  half- 
reclining  position,  and  was  very  weak.  William's  color 
rose  and  his  eyes  flashed,  as  he  saw  what  a  wreck  Mary 
had  become  ;  but,  in  a  second,  tears  filled  his  eyes,  and 
he  almost  fell,  as  he  walked  carefully  across  the  room, 
and  knelt  at  the  bedside. 


THE  TWO  SISTERS;  OR,   THE  A  VENGER.       223 

"  Mary,  don't  you  know  me  ?"  he  said,  in  a  voice 
trembling  with  emotion.  "  Don't  you  know  William?" 

As  the  familiar  tones  reached  her  ear,  a  look  of  delight 
came  into  her  face ;  she  raised  herself  on  her  arm,  gazed 
lovingly  at  William,  and  tried  to  speak ;  but  her  emotions 
overcame  her,  and  she  dropped  back  in  a  swoon.  The 
Doctor,  assisted  by  two  ladies  who  were  present,  soon 
revived  her,  and  she  was  able  to  speak  in  a  faint  voice. 

"  Oh  !  William,  I  am  so  delighted  to  see  you  !  Where 
are  father,  mother,  and  Alice?  Won't  they  come  to  me?" 

William  took  her  hand  gently,  and  endeavored  in  vain, 
to  suppress  the  sobs  that  would  come  in  spite  of  himself. 
His  chest  heaved  convulsively,  and  his  eyes  were  full  of 
tears.  Finally,  he  mastered  his  grief  with  great  effort, 
and  said  : 

"  Father  is  coming  as  soon  as  he  can.  You  will  meet 
him  in  Chicago,  if  you  are  strong  enough  to  make  the 
journey." 

I  will  not  dwell  upon  this  affecting  meeting.  Sorrow  is 
the  heritage  of  the  whole  world,  and  we  all  have  so  much 
unhappiness  in  our  own  lives,  that  we,  naturally,  do  not 
desire  to  contemplate  the  misery  of  others,  too  long. 


CHAPTER    XV. 

I  LEFT  William  with  Mary,  and  returned  to  the  Wash- 
ington  House,  to  see  Deputy-Sheriff  Green.  Having 
told  him  that  Sloan  was  in  Janesville,  I  offered  to  go 
there  to  arrest  the  villain  and  get  Alice.  Mary  needed 
her  sister's  presence  immediately,  as  the  physicians  feared 
the  worst. 

Green  said  that  I  had  already  done  everything,  and 
that  I  ought  to  have  some  rest ;  so,  he  would  go  to  Janes 
ville.  Accordingly,  I  gave  him  a  letter  of  introduction  to 
the  sheriff  of  Rock  county,  and,  in  less  than  an  hour,  he 
had  hired  a  buggy  and  started  on  his  journey. 

He  reached  Janesville  at  three  o'clock  in  the  morning ; 
he  then  called  up  the  sheriff  and  asked  his  assistance  in 
arresting  Sloan.  The  sheriff  hurriedly  dressed  himself 
and  accompanied  Green  to  Sloan's  room.  Green  had  not 
forgotten  his  handcuffs,  and,  in  an  instant,  Sloan  was  a 
prisoner. 

Alice  fairly  cried  for  joy  at  her  deliverance,  but  her  joy 
vanished  on  hearing  of  Mary's  illness. 

Green  brought  both  Sloan  and  Alice  back  to  Rockford 
in  the  buggy  he  had  used  in  going  to  Janesville ;  and,  on 
reaching  Rockford,  Sloan  was  lodged  in  jail,  while  Alice 
went  to  Mary's  bedside. 

Blake  lived  through  Monday,  but  died  that  night.  I 
cared  but  little  for  this.  I  had  done  only  my  duty.  I  had 


THE   TWO  SISTERS;  OR,   THE  AVENGER.       225 

the  approval,  not  only  of  my  own  conscience,  but,  also,  of 
all  the  law-loving  people  of  Rockford.  A  death  by  vio 
lence  was  the  natural  end  of  such  a  life  as  Blake's. 
Sooner  or  later  his  sin  was  sure  to  find  him  out ;  in  the 
course  of  my  duty,  I  was  the  appointed  instrument  of 
vengeance. 

The  arrival  of  William  and  Alice  did  Mary  much  good, 
and  she  cheered  up  perceptibly.  I  thought  it  would  be 
best  to  move  her  to  Chicago,  and  the  doctor  agreed  with 
me.  We,  therefore,  started  Tuesday  morning  by  stage, 
and  took  the  train  at  Belvidere.  We  reached  Chicago 
without  accident,  and  Mary  was  immediately  taken  to  the 
Sherman  House,  where  the  proprietors,  Messrs.  Tuttle  & 
Brown,  had  prepared  their  best  room.  The  whole  com 
munity  deeply  sympathized  with  the  unfortunate  family, 
and  Mary  received  the  greatest  attention  and  kindness 
from  every  one. 

Doctor  McVickar  was  called,  and  his  opinion  was 
awaited  with  deep  anxiety.  When  he  came  out  from 
Mary's  room,  he  said  that  it  would  be  impossible  for  her 
to  live.  She  had  been  poisoned  by  heavy  doses  of  can- 
tharides,  or  Spanish  fly,  administered  for  a  purpose  better 
imagined  than  described.  It  had  been  given  to  her  in 
such  large  doses,  and  had  had  time  to  work  into  her  system 
so  thoroughly,  that  it  would  be  impossible  to  save  her. 

Mrs.  Wells  was  quite  ill,  at  home,  from  the  overpower 
ing  effects  of  grief,  and  Mr.  Wells  was  not  in  Chicago,  on 
our  arrival  there.  He  came  on,  immediately  ;  but  Mary 
had  been  dead  an  hour  and  a  half,  when  he  entered  the 
Sherman  House. 

Poor  Mary  !    Only  a  few  days  before,  she  had  been  so 


226          PINKER  TON yS  DETECTIVE  S TORIES. 

full  of  life,  so  beautiful  —  now,  she  was  a  corpse.  To  her, 
however,  death  came  as  a  release ;  and  few  would  have 
cared  to  call  her  back  to  the  suffering,  which  life  would 
have  entailed  upon  her. 

Green  obtained  the  necessary  papers,  and  conveyed 
Sloan  to  the  jail  in  Coldwater.  He  was  there  tried,  con 
victed,  and  sentenced  to  imprisoment,  at  hard  labor,  for 
five  years  —  the  longest  term  allowable  by  law  for  his 
offense,  at  that  time.  The  villains,  Harris,  Dick,  and  Joe, 
had  taken  an  early  alarm,  and  fled  to  the  wilds  of  the 
Far  West ;  so  that  they  escaped,  temporarily,  from  the 
hands  of  justice.  Their  further  career  was  never  known, 
but,  in  all  probability,  they  were  hanged. 


CHAPTER    XVI. 

TEN  eventful  years  passed  away.  I  had  entered  into 
business,  on  my  own  account,  and  was  doing  well.  I 
had  gone  into  Moritcalm  County,  Michigan,  on  the  track 
of  some  parties,  who  were  suspected  of  stealing  goods 
from  the  Michigan  Central  Railroad.  Montcalm  County 
was  just  becoming  settled  up ;  and,  as  I  drove  along  in 
my  buggy,  on  my  way  to  the  little  town  of  Stanton,  I  began 
to  fear  that  I  had  lost  my  way.  It  was  a  very  sultry  sum 
mer  day,  and  my  horse  jogged  along,  with  drooping  head, 
evidently  suffering  greatly  from  the  heat.  I,  therefore, 
decided  to  stop  at  the  first  farm-house,  to  water  my  horse 
and  inquire  the  way  to  Stanton. 

I  soon  came  in  sight  of  a  farm-house,  situated  in  a  large 
clearing.  It  was,  evidently,  a  well-kept  farm.  The  house 
was  neat  and  comfortable ;  the  fences  and  barns  were  in 
good  order  ;  and  the  stock  looked  well-fed  and  well-cared 
for.  Everything  showed  thrifty,  capable  management. 

I  drove  up  to  the  house,  and  entered  the  open  door.  A 
handsome  lady  was  seated  at  a  table,  sewing,  and  three 
children  were  playing  around  her.  I  asked  her  where  I 
could  get  water  for  myself  and  my  horse.  She  gave  me  a 
drink,  took  down  a  pail,  and  handed  it  to  me,  at  the  same 
time  pointing  to  the  well. 

I  thanked  her,  and  made  a  few  remarks  about  the  fine 
appearance  of  her  farm.  She  said  nothing,  but  I  noticed 


228          PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

that  she  looked  at  me  in  a  very  curious  manner.  I  then 
went  out,  watered  my  horse,  and  returned  to  the  house 
with  the  pail ;  the  lady  took  it  from  me,  and  handed  it  to 
a  brown-eyed  little  boy,  to  take  into  the  house,  all  the  time 
keeping  her  eyes  fixed  upon  me.  I  have  always  had  a 
great  liking  for  a  handsome  face,  and  this  lady  was,  cer 
tainly,  a  beauty ;  but  she  gazed  at  me  so  steadily  that,  I 
must  confess,  I  was  somewhat  abashed.  However,  I  asked 
the  road  to  Stanton,  which  she  told  me;  and  I  then  turned 
to  get  into  my  buggy.  At  this,  she  inquired,  in  a  shy,  timid 
way: 

"  Is  your  name  Pinkerton  ?  " 

This  question  was  rather  startling,  as  I  did  not  wish  to 
be  known  ;  and  Montcalm  County  having  been  so  recently 
settled,  I  had  not  expected  to  be  recognized  there.  Still,  I 
could  not  deceive  her,  so  I  said,  politely : 

"  Yes,  madam ;  but  you  have  the  advantage  of  me." 

She  held  out  both  her  hands,  and  said,  smilingly : 

"Why,  don't  you  know  me,  Mr.  Pinkerton  ?  " 

I  looked  at  her,  and  then  at  her  three  children,  but  could 
not  recall  a  single  familiar  feature  ;  so  I  was  obliged  to 
say: 

"  No;  I  do  not  know  you." 

"  What !  not  know  me  !  Why,  I  am  Alice  Wells,"  she 
replied. 

"  Good  gracious  !  is  it  possible!  "  I  said.  "  Well,  this 
is  a  pleasant  surprise." 

I  could  hardly  realize  that  it  was  Alice.  She  was  mar 
ried  to  an  upright,  intelligent  farmer,  and  her  husband  was 
then  at  work  in  the  field.  She  was  determined  that  I 


THE  TWO  SISTERS;  OR,  THE  A  FENCER.       229 

should  stay  all  night,  and  would  not  take  "  no  "  for  an 
answer. 

Finding  that  I  could  not  get  away,  I  drove  my  horse 
into  the  barn,  while  she  sent  for  her  husband.  When  he 
came,  Alice  told  him  who  I  was ;  as  he  knew  all  her  pre 
vious  history,  and  my  connection  with  it,  he  received  me 
with  great  cordiality. 

A  pleasanter  night  than  the  one  I  spent  under  their 
roof,  I  never  passed.  They  did  all  in  their  power  to  make 
my  stay  agreeable,  and  succeeded  perfectly.  They  were 
admirably  suited  to  each  other,  and  were  evidently  as 
devoted  lovers  as  ever  they  were  in  their  days  of  court 
ship,  of  which  they  related  to  me  many  amusing  and 
touching  anecdotes. 

I  have  heard  from  them  several  times  since  then,  and 
they  seem  to  be  as  happy  as  mortals  can  ever  expect  to 
be. 


THE    END. 


16 


THE  FRENCHMAN: 


—  OR  — 


THE  BILLS   OF   EXCHANGE. 


IN  TROD  UCTION. 

IN  laying  before  the  reading  public  the  career  of  the 
most  skillful  and  dangerous  forger  that  ever  operated 
in  this,  or,  I  may  truthfully  say,  any  other  country,  it  will 
be  necessary  to  say  a  few  words,  by  way  of  preface. 

During  the  years  1855  and  1856,  the  commercial  com 
munities  of  both  the  United  States  and  the  Canadas  were 
startled  by  a  series  of  forgeries  on  foreign  bills  of  exchange, 
drawn  on  English  bankers,  so  well  executed,  and  so  skill 
fully  manipulated,  as  to  leave  not  the  slightest  clue  by 
which  to  trace  the  forgers.  At  this  time,  the  Atlantic  Cable 
was  not  in  existence,  and  it  took  at  least  a  month  to  send 
for  advice  and  receive  instructions  from  England. 

Foreign  bills  of  exchange,  I  will  here  state,  for  the  in 
formation  of  those  who  do  not  know  their  nature,  are  bills 
drawn  by  one  merchant  or  banker  upon  another,  with  whom 
he  has  an  account.  They  are  similar  to  drafts,  with  the 
exception  that  they  are  generally  made  out  in  two  or  three 
parts ;  so  that,  in  case  one  part  be  lost,  the  others  can  be 
used.  A  "two-part"  bill  consists  of  an  "  original  "  and 
a  "duplicate."  A  "three-part"  bill  consists  of  an  origi 
nal  and  two  duplicates,  which  are  called,  respectively, 
"first,"  "second,"  and  "third." 

For  example :  suppose  Henry  Brown,  of  New  York, 
wishes  to  send  fifty  pounds  sterling  to  John  Smith,  of 
London.  In  order  to  do  so,  Brown  goes  to  his  banker, 


234  INTRODUCTION. 

and  buys  a  three-part  bill  of  exchange  for  fifty  pounds, 
payable  to  his  own  order.  The  bill  is  issued  to  him  in 
three  parts,  nearly  exactly  alike.  He  cuts  off  the  first  part, 
endorses  it  payable  to  Smith,  and  sends  it  by  the  first 
steamer.  By  the  next  steamer,  he  sends  the  second  part, 
similarly  endorsed ;  but  he  retains  the  third  part  until  he 
shall  hear  from  Smith.  If  Smith  receives  the  first  part, 
he  gets  it  cashed ;  if,  by  any  accident,  however,  the  first 
part  should  be  lost,  Smith  receives  the  second  part  in  due 
time,  and  gets  that  cashed.  The  bank,  on  which  the  bill 
is  drawn,  invariably  cashes  whichever  part  is  first  presented. 

If  Brown,  after  buying  the  bill,  decides  not  to  send  it 
to  Smith,  he  can  sell  it  to  almost  any  banker  in  this  coun 
try,  who  deals  in  foreign  exchange.  Brown,  then,  endorses 
all  three  parts,  and  gives  them  to  the  purchaser  of  the  bill. 
If  any  part  be  missing,  he  must  satisfactorily  account  for 
its  absence. 

The  illustrations  opposite  page  253  of  this  book,  will 
show  the  ordinary  form  of  foreign  bills  of  exchange. 


THE  FRENCHMAN 

OR,  THE  BILLS  OF  EXCHANGE. 


CHAPTER   I. 

JULES  IMBERT  was  born  on  the  Island  of  Martin 
ique,  one  of  the  French  West  Indies,  in  the  year  1801. 
His  father  was  a  Frenchman  of  liberal  education  and 
polished  manners,  who,  when  quite  a  young  man,  was 
offered  a  clerkship  in  one  of  the  leading  business  houses 
of  Martinique.  He  accepted  the  offer,  immediately  pro 
ceeded  to  the  island,  and  entered  upon  his  duties.  After 
serving  his  employers  faithfully  for  several  years,  he  was 
given  a  partnership;  and,  soon  afterward,  he  married  a 
beautiful  Creole,  a  daughter  of  one  of  the  partners.  They 
had  several  children,  but  all  of  them,  with  the  exception 
of  Jules,  the  youngest,  were  drowned,  while  making  a 
pleasure  trip  on  Babycom  Bay.  , 

Jules,  like  most  only  sons,  was  petted  by  his  mother, 
and  humored  by  his  father.  By  the  time  he  was  five  or 
six  years  old,  he  displayed  remarkable  precocity,  and  his 
fond  mother  was  never  tired  of  telling  anecdotes  of  his 
smart  doings  and  witty  sayings.  Up  to  the  age  of  six 
teen,  he  remained  at  home,  receiving  his  education  from 


236  PINKER  TON 'S  DETECTIVE  S  TORIES. 

tutors ;  but  his  father  now  determined  to  send  him  to 
Paris  for  a  few  years,  not  alone  to  complete  his  studies, 
but  to  see  whether  a  knowledge  of  the  world  would  not 
cure  him  of  the  insufferable  self-conceit  which  he  had 
acquired ;  for  he  displayed  this  fault  in  so  offensive  a 
manner,  as  to  make  him  disliked  by  all  with  whom  he 
came  in  contact. 

He  really  had  qualifications  which  placed  him  far  above 
the  average  youth  of  his  age ;  and  any  studies  which  his 
teachers  might  set  before  him,  he  mastered,  seemingly, 
with  little  difficulty.  He  was  a  beautiful  penman,  and  a 
good  composer ;  was  well  posted  in  mathematics,  and  was 
a  superior  linguist.  He  was  able  to  converse  in  German, 
English,  and  Italian,  with  as  much  fluency  as  in  French, 
and  with  scarcely  any  foreign  accent.  But  the  great  draw 
back  to  all  his  accomplishments  was  the  fact,  that  he  knew 
too  well  his  possession  of  them.  He  had  been  so  idolized 
at  home,  that  he  had  come  to  consider  himself  a  genius, 
and  his  attempts  to  carry  out  the  character,  made  him 
simply  ridiculous. 

At  the  age  of  sixteen,  Jules  was  sent  to  Paris.  For  a 
time,  his  self-conceit  was  completely  forgotten  in  the 
presence  of  the  splendors  of  that  luxurious  capital ;  but, 
it  being  made  known  that  young  Imbert  had  a  large  allow 
ance  at  his  disposal,  he  was  soon  surrounded  by  a  crowd 
cf  sycophants  and  flatterers  ;  then,  as  the  wonders  around 
him  began  to  lose -their  charm,  by  familiarity,  his  old  mal 
ady  returned  with  redoubled  force.  He  remained  in  Paris 
—  devoting  very  little  time  to  study,  but  squandering  large 
sums  of  money  —  about  ten  years,  when  he  was  recalled 
to  Martinique,  by  the  sudden  death  of  his  father  and 


THE  FRENCHMA  N;  OR,  BILLS  OF  EXCHA  NGE.     237 

mother.  Jules  really  loved  his  parents,  and  the  blow  was 
a  severe  one,  rendered  more  so  by  the  fact,  that  the  news 
reached  him  while  in  the  midst  of  his  dissipations.  He 
immediately  started  for  Martinique  ;  but,  as  he  was  obliged 
to  go  in  a  sailing  vessel  —  steamships  not  being  in  general 
use  at  that  time  —  he  did  not  arrive  at  the  island  until 
nearly  six  months  after  his  parents'  death. 

An  examination  into  the  affairs  of  his  father  disclosed 
the  fact,  that  he  had  died  insolvent ;  hence,  Jules  was 
forced  to  seek  employment,  to  maintain  himself.  An  old 
friend  of  his  father  gave  him  a  minor  clerkship;  and, 
although  he  was  a  total  stranger  to  any  kind  of  labor,  he 
was  soon  hard  at  work.  Three  years  of  steady  applica 
tion  to  business,  took  every  particle  of  conceit  out  of  him, 
and  left  him  an  agreeable,  self-reliant  gentleman.  He 
rose  from  place  to  place,  until  he  became  cashier  of  the 
house.  This  was  a  position  of  great  trust,  since  the  house 
he  was  with  —  there  being  no  banks  on  the  island  —  per 
formed  all  the  duties  usually  left  to  those  institutions.  It 
was,  doubtless,  while  here,  that  Imbert  made  his  thorough 
acquaintance  with  bills  of  exchange. 

After  being  with  the  house  for  five  years,  he  threw  up 
his  position,  purchased  a  few  small  coasting  vessels  with 
the  money  he  had  saved,  and  established  a  paying  traffic 
with  the  neighboring  islands.  His  business  increased 
rapidly ;  and,  by  the  time  he  had  reached  his  fiftieth  year, 
he  was  a  wealthy  man.  At  this  period  of  his  life,  Imbert 
was  an  example  of  the  highest  type  of  a  successful  West 
India  merchant.  He  had  purchased,  for  his  home,  a 
"  Pen,"  situated  a  few  miles  from  town.  This  is  the  name 
which  the  inhabitants  of  Martinique  so  modestly  give  to 


238          PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

their  beautiful  country-seats,  in  the  interior  of  the  island. 
It  was  beautifully  located,  on  a  fertile  ridge  overlooking 
the  sea,  and  was  surrounded  by  orange  groves,  banana 
plantations,  and  gardens,  filled  with  the  choicest  tropical 
fruits  and  plants.  Sparkling  fountains  made  soft  murmurs 
to  lull  the  ear,  and  works  of  art  everywhere  met  the  eye. 
The  cooling  "trade-wind,"  as  it  swept  through  the  long, 
rambling  house,  came  laden  with  delicious  perfume ;  and 
every  luxury,  which  taste  could  suggest  and  wealth  pro 
cure,  was  there.  It  was  well  worthy  of  being  called  a 
little  earthly  paradise. 

Imbert  was  married,  but  had  no  children.  His  wife  did 
not  exactly  love  him,  nor  he,  her ;  yet  they  got  along  very 
comfortably  together.  He  devoted  the  greater  part  of  the 
day  to  managing  his  business,  and  spent  his  evenings  in 
pleasant  social  reunions  with  his  neighbors.  Yet,  with  all 
his  luxuries,  Imbert  was  not  happy. 

Among  his  friends,  was  an  Italian  merchant,  who,  though 
very  wealthy,  was  still  troubled  with  an  insatiable  craving 
for  gold.  As  Imbert  had  no  financial  dealings  with  him, 
they  always  were  on  the  best  of  terms.  This  Italian  had 
a  very  beautiful  daughter,  and  it  seemed  as  if  the  only 
person  who  could  draw  him  away  from  his  avaricious  habits 
was  his  child,  Beatrice,  whose  mother  had  died  at  her  birth. 
Imbert,  being  childless,  had  prevailed  on  the  Italian  to 
let  his  wife  take  charge  of  Beatrice  ;  and  so  she  had  grown 
up,  partly  in  Imbert's  care,  partly  in  her  father's,  until  she 
was  now  eighteen  years  old. 

Beatrice,  though  she  had  arrived  at  an  age  when,  accord 
ing  to  custom,  she  should  have  been  calm,  sedate,  and 
reserved,  was  just  the  opposite ;  in  reality,  she  was  one 


THE  FRENCHMAN;  OR,  BILLS  OF  EXCHANGE.    239 

of  the  noisiest  little  romps  to  be  found.  She  was  so  light 
and  airy  in  her  movements  that  her  father  called  her  his 
"dancing  fairy."  She  was  not  the  cold,  powerful,  com 
manding  beauty,  who  breaks  down  the  door  to  one's  heart, 
but  the  lovely  little  sprite,  who  smuggles  herself  in  through 
the  key-hole,  and  has  possession  before  one  knows  it. 
Her  head  was  small  and  elegant  in  shape,  and  her  features 
were  all  perfectly  regular.  Her  eyes  were  dark  blue, 
almost  black,  and  their  expression  varied  with  every  emo 
tion  of  her  mind  ;  though  the  laughing  expression  predom 
inated.  Her  hair  was  literally  a  "  crowning  beauty,"  and, 
when  loosened  from  its  fastenings,  it  fell  almost  to  her 
feet,  covering  her  with  a  golden  shower.  Her  complexion 
was  a  pale  olive,  with  an  almost  imperceptible  tinge  of  red 
in  her  cheeks.  A  plump,  graceful  figure,  small  hands  and 
feet,  and  a  sweet  Italian  voice,  complete  an  imperfect  out 
line  sketch  of  this  beautiful  girl. 

From  her  earliest  childhood,  Beatrice  had  dearly  loved 
"  Uncle  Jules,"  as  she  used  to  call  Imbert.  His  vivacity, 
the  charm  of  his  manner,  and  his  seemingly  inexhaustible 
fund  of  knowledge,  had  charmed  her  as  a  child,  and  caused 
her  to  look  up  to  him  as  something  superior,  when  she 
became  a  woman.  Imbert,  of  course,  loved  Beatrice  :  at 
first,  it  was  with  the  love  of  a  parent  for  a  darling  child  ; 
but,  as  she  grew  to  be  a  beautiful  woman,  he  found  his 
love  had  turned  into  a  passion.  Hence,  he  could  not 
endure  the  thought  of  her  marriage,  and  the  separation 
from  him  that  would  ensue;  and  this  it  was,  that  inter 
fered  with  his  happiness. 

At  this  time,  he  was  doing  a  very  prosperous  business, 
the  secret  of  his  success  being,  that,  for  many  years,  he 


240  PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

had  been  engaged  in  smuggling  to  a  large  extent ;  this,  of 
course,  made  his  profits  enormous.  His  plans  were  so 
well-laid  and  so  quietly  carried  out,  that  he  had  not  the 
slightest  fear  of  detection.  But  crime  will  show  itself. 
The  old  Italian  merchant  had,  by  means  of  his  intimacy 
with  Imbert,  obtained  a  clue  to  the  latter's  operations ;  and, 
with  a  baseness  only  to  be  found  in  sordid  natures,  he 
informed  on  his  friend,  for  the  sake  of  the  informer's 
reward.  Imbert  was  arrested,  and  thrown  into  prison; 
there  he  remained  a  week,  and  was  then  brought  to  trial. 
He  was  found  guilty  of  smuggling;  and,  as  his  operations 
had  been  enormous,  extending  over  many  years,  it  was 
adjudged  that  his  estate  should  be  confiscated  to  cover 
the  amount  of  the  penalty.  On  being  discharged  from 
custody,  he  found  himself  once  more  a  free  man,  but 
almost  a  beggar.  To  Beatrice,  the  blow  was  a  cruel  one, 
and  she  was  almost  heart-broken  at  the  thought  that  her 
father  had  been  the  cause  of  all  Imbert's  troubles. 

While  in  prison,  Imbert  had  formed  a  plan  to  revenge 
himself  on  the  Italian,  and,  also,  to  gratify  his  greatest 
passion  —  his  love  for  Beatrice.  Proceeding  to  his  "Pen," 
which  he  found  in  possession  of  the  government  police, 
he  passed  into  the  drawing-room,  where  he  discovered 
Beatrice  consoling  his  wife.  Without  being  seen  by  the 
latter,  he  managed  to  attract  Beatrice's  attention,  and 
beckoned  her  to  follow  him.  Imbert  conducted  her  to  a 
secluded  part  of  the  grounds,  where,  taking  her  in  his 
arms,  he  poured  out  his  tale  of  love,  and  begged  her  to 
fly  with  him;  great  as  was  his  pecuniary  loss,  he  said,  if 
she  would  only  become  his  companion  in  flight,  he  would 
be  more  than  repaid.  The  influence  he  had  acquired 


THE  FRENCHMAN;  OR,  BILLS  OF  EXCHANGE.    241 

over  her  was  irresistible,  and  she  finally  consented.  He 
directed  her  to  go  home,  seize  what  money  she  could,  and 
meet  him,  at  four  o'clock  the  next  morning,  just  outside 
her  father's  grounds. 

At  the  appointed  time,  she  was  there,  and  Imbert,  in 
again  clasping  her  to  his  heart,  had  the  pleasure  of  grati 
fying,  at  the  same  moment,  two  opposite  passions — love 
and  revenge.  Without  an  instant's  delay,  they  proceeded 
to  the  harbor  and  embarked  on  a  vessel,  which  was  ready 
to  sail.  The  sailors  were  weighing  anchor  as  they  stepped 
on  board ;  the  sails  were  soon  set ;  and,  assisted  by  the 
gentle  land-breeze,  the  ship  rapidly  left  the  harbor.  Im 
bert  and  Beatrice  seated  themselves  on  deck,  to  take  a 
last  look  at  their  native  island,  which  was  slowly  sinking 
out  of  sight,  never  to  be  seen  by  them  again.  Beatrice,  at 
first,  shed  a  few  tears,  as  she  remembered  that  she  had 
parted  forever  from  her  father;  but  she  soon  checked 
them,  for  fear  they  would  annoy  Imbert.  Her  reverence 
for  the  latter,  who  had  complete  control  over  her,  took 
away  any  feeling  of  wrong-doing,  and  her  girlish,  roman 
tic  nature  was  buoyed  up  by  the  thought,  that  she  was  to 
share  his  exile,  and  suffer  equally  with  him. 

Imbert  gave  himself  up  to  pleasing  reflections.  He  was 
now  fifty-one  years  old,  but  did  not  look  to  be  forty.  He 
had  arrived  at  an  age  when  most  men  have  settled  them 
selves  for  life ;  yet  he  had  been  just  stripped  of  his  for 
tune.  To  offset  this,  he  had  perfect  health,  a  thorough 
knowledge  of  business,  nearly  ten  thousand  dollars  in 
cash  —  including  what  Beatrice  had  taken  from  her  father 
—  and,  best  of  all,  the  beautiful  Beatrice,  whom  he  would 
now  call  his  wife. 


242  PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVL  STORIES. 

After  a  short  voyage,  the  vessel  reached  Havana  ;  there 
Imbert  and  Beatrice  remained  for  a  year,  giving  them 
selves  up  to  a  life  of  gaiety  and  enjoyment.  At  length, 
however,  the  large  sums  necessary  to  keep  up  their  estab 
lishment  nearly  drained  Imbert's  purse,  and  compelled 
him  to  go  to  New  Orleans,  to  seek  some  kind  of  business. 
He  took  with  him  letters  of  introduction,  which  admitted 
him  to  the  best  society  of  the  city,  but  which  did  not  get 
him  employment.  Finding  that  he  could  do  nothing  at 
New  Orleans,  he  went  to  Mobile.  There,  he  remained 
out  of  employment  for  nearly  a  year,  during  part  of  which 
time  they  suffered  for  want  of  the  common  necessities  of 
life;  in  fact,  all  of  Beatrice's  trinkets  and  finery  were 
pledged  in  different  pawnshops. 

At  length,  Imbert  obtained  the  position  of  supercargo 
on  a  vessel  about  to  sail  for  Barbadoes,  with  a  cargo  of 
pitch-pine.  He  received  permission  to  take  his  wife  with 
him,  and  the  vessel  sailed,  with  them  on  board,  November 
2,  1854.  The  poverty  of  the  past  year  had  so  worked 
upon  Imbert's  too  sensual  nature,  as  to  make  him  ready 
for  almost  any  kind  of  scheme  which  would  restore  him 
to  wealth  and  luxury.  Henceforward,  his  career  was  one 
of  continuous  crime. 


CHAPTER    II. 

WHILE  at  sea,  Imbert  matured  plans  for  a  series 
of  forgeries,  which  he  had  had  in  contemplation 
for  some  time;  and  he  was  unexpectedly  aided  by  an 
incident  of  the  voyage.  The  captain  of  the  vessel  was 
taken  ill;  and,  although  Imbert  nursed  him  with  great 
assiduity,  his  disease  proved  fatal.  On  the  arrival  of  the 
ship  at  Barbadoes,  December  4,  1854,  Imbert  proclaimed 
himself  the  owner  of  the  cargo,  and  proceeded  to  sell  it. 
The  American  consul  suspected  that  there  was  some 
thing  wrong  about  the  transaction ;  but  he  had  no  means 
of  verifying  his  suspicions.  All  that  he  could  do,  there 
fore,  was  to  send  the  vessel  home  in  charge  of  the  mate. 
The  purchaser  of  the  cargo  was  a  well-to-do  merchant, 
named  Samuel  P.  Mussen.  While  transacting  business 
with  this  gentleman,  Imbert  learned  that  his  New  York 
correspondent  was  the  firm  of  Middleton  &  Co.  On  learn 
ing  this  fact,  Imbert  wrote  a  forged  letter  to  Middleton  & 
Co.,  dated  December  18,  1854,  and  signed  it  "Samuel  P. 
Mussen."  The  letter  purported  to  introduce  Mr.  Fred. 
Jourdan,  from  whom  Mussen  had  bought  a  cargo  of  pitch 
pine,  which  Jourdan  had  brought  from  Mobile.  Imbert 
then  wrote  another  letter  to  Middleton  &  Co.,  dated 
January  17,  1855,  enclosing  two  parts  of  a  bill  of  exchange 
for  ;£ioo  sterling,  which  he  had  purchased  from  Mussen. 
He  instructed  Middleton  &  Co.  to  negotiate  the  bill  and 


244          PINKERTON^S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

* 

send  the  proceeds  to  George  Daristi,  City  Hotel,  Savan 
nah.  He  signed  this  letter  "  Fred.  Jourdan;"  he  enclosed 
also  the  forged  letter,  introducing  Jourdan  to  Middleton 
&  Co.,  and  sent  the  documents  by  the  first  vessel.  He 
then  enclosed  the  //«></ part  of  the  same  bill,  (of  which  he 
had  sent  Middleton  &  Co.  the  first  and  second  parts,)  in 
a  letter  to  a  London  bank  for  collection,  with  instructions 
to  send  the  amount  to  Spafford  &  Co.,  of  New  York,  there 
to  be  placed  to  the  credit  of  George  Daristi.  Having 
laid  his  trap  to  ensnare  Middleton  &  Co.,  Imbert  remained 
a  short  time  on  the  island,  and  then  sailed  for  Savannah. 
He  now  had  plenty  of  money,  and  was  able  to  give 
Beatrice  every  luxury  that  wealth  could  procure.  On  the 
voyage,  he  disclosed  his  plans  to  her  and  instructed  her 
as  to  the  different  characters  they  were  to  assume.  She, 
as  usual,  acquiesced  wholly  in  his  schemes,  having  no 
desire  to  oppose  his  wishes  in  the  slightest  particular. 
On  their  arrival  in  Savannah,  they  went  to  the  City  Hotel, 
where  Imbert  signed  the  register,  "  George  Daristi  and 
wife,"  at  the  same  time  informing  the  clerk  that  he  wished 
the  best  suite  of  rooms  in  the  house.  As  he  expected,  he 
found  a  letter  awaiting  him  from  Middleton  &  Co.,  enclos 
ing  their  check  on  the  Merchants'  Bank  of  New  York, 
payable  to  the  order  of  George  Daristi.  The  amount  was 
the  proceeds  of  the  sale  of  the  bill  of  exchange,  being 
nearly  five  hundred  dollars.  Highly  gratified  by  the 
promptness  of  Middleton  &  Co.,  Imbert  wrote  them  a 
letter,  dated  Bay  State,  Florida,  January  31,  1855,  and 
signed  "F.  Jourdan,"  acknowledging  the  receipt  of  the 
check  by  Daristi.  After  a  few  days,  leaving  Beatrice  in 
Savannah,  Imbert  made  a  flying  visit  to  New  York,  and 


THE  FRENCHMAN;  OR,  BILLS  OF  EXCHANGE.    245 

called  on  Middleton  &  Co.,  to  whom  he  introduced  him 
self  as  George  Daristi ;  producing  their  check,  he  asked 
them  to  identify  him  at  the  bank.  This  they  did,  and  he 
drew  the  money.  He  then  had  the  bank  identify  him  to 
SpafTord  &  Co.;  finding  that  the  proceeds  of  the  bill  sent 
to  England  had  just  arrived  and  had  been  placed  to  his 
credit,  he  drew  the  amount.  Thus,  his  first  speculation 
in  bills  of  exchange  had  netted  him  the  snug  profit  of  one 
hundred  per  cent. 

It  will  be  interesting,  here,  to  notice  the  great  simplicity 
of  Imbert's  plans,  and  the  readiness  with  which  his  vic 
tims  fell  into  his  trap.  He  did  not  attempt  to  forge  new 
bills,  knowing  the  extreme  risk  of  such  an  operation;  but 
he  simply  paid  cash  for  genuine  bills,  and  then  obtained 
double  payment  on  them.  The  irregularity  did  not  affect 
the  English  bankers  on  whom  the  bills  were  drawn. 
They  cashed  the  "  third  "  part  of  the  bills  sent  for  collec 
tion,  as  they  were  required  to  do :  it  was  none  of  their 
affair  to  discover  the  whereabouts  of  the  "first"  and 
"second"  parts.  But  the  bankers  in  the  United  States, 
who  bought  the  "first"  and  "second"  parts  without 
knowing  the  whereabouts  of  the  "third"  part,  violated 
the  rules  of  commercial  dealing,  and  paid  the  penalty  by 
the  loss  of  the  money  advanced.  If  they  had  demanded 
all  three  parts,  before  negotiating  the  bills,  Imbert  never 
would  have  been  able  to  fleece  them  so  extensively. 

Now,  why  did  not  these  merchants  and  bankers  act 
with  more  prudence?  Why  did  they  buy  only  two  parts 
of  a  bill,  knowing  that  it  was  possible  that  the  missing 
"third"  had  been  forwarded  to  England  for  collection, 
making  the  first  two  parts  valueless  ?  The  answer  to 


246          PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES 

these  questions  will  serve  for  an  explanation  of  the 
method  by  which  nearly  every  similar  swindle  is  success 
fully  carried  out.  The  men  who  undertake  to  pass 
forged  drafts  and  checks  for  any  large  amounts  are 
thoroughly  conversant  with  every  feature  of  commercial 
routine  and  business  customs.  Their  preliminary  steps 
are  generally  taken  in  strict  accordance  with  the  rules  of 
legitimate  trade.  Having  laid  a  foundation  of  credit  by 
an  adherence  to  genuine  business  principles,  the  forger 
proceeds  to  erect  a  fabric  of  fraud.  The  confidence  of 
his  victim  being  once  obtained,  the  latter  never  considers 
it  necessary  to  demand  a  rigid  compliance  with  all  the 
precautions  usually  taken  in  dealing  with  strangers ;  or, 
if  he  should  be  one  of  the  habitually  cautious  kind, 
requiring  full  information,  the  gentlemanly  and  agreeable 
customer  explains  every  thing  so  frankly  and  plausibly, 
that  all  suspicions  are  at  once  removed.  The  minor 
points  are  as  carefully  attended  to  as  the  important  ones  ; 
even  the  effect  of  dress  and  general  appearance  is  fully 
considered.  Moreover,  the  forger  is  a  keen  observer  and 
a  shrewd  judge  of  human  nature.  The  details  of  his 
story  will  often  depend  upon  the  character  of  the  person 
whom  he  intends  to  swindle.  He  can  tell  very  soon 
whether  his  scheme  will  succeed ;  and,  when  he  finds 
suspicion  has  been  excited,  he  draws  off  gracefully,  to 
make  the  attempt  elsewhere.  This  readiness  to  detect 
even  the  faintest  gleam  of  distrust  will  be  illustrated  later 
in  these  pages. 

Imbert  remained  only  a  day  or  two  in  New  York,  and 
then  returned  to  Savannah,  whence  he  proceeded,  with 
Beatrice,  to  Charleston.  Here,  Mr.  "George  Corner" 


THE  FRENCHMAN,  OR,  BILLS  OF  EXCHANGE.    247 

and  his  beautiful  wife  were,  for  a  time,  the  lions  of  soci 
ety.  Imbert  understood  the  advantage  of  having  a  repu 
tation  for  wealth  and  position.  Hence,  he  spent  money 
lavishly  and  moved  in  the  best  society  of  the  city.  At 
the  same  time,  he  continued  his  operations  so  very  suc 
cessfully  as  to  realize  more  than  eleven  thousand  dollars 
in  about  two  weeks.  He  invested  this  money  in  cotton, 
and  shipped  the  latter  to  New  York ;  there  it  was  sold  by 
Schmidt  &  Co.,  at  a  large  profit,  the  proceeds  being  sent 
to  him  at  Baltimore,  where  he  then  was.  Leaving  Balti 
more,  Imbert  made  a  tour  of  all  the  principal  Southern 
cities,  operating  extensively  in  the  same  way  wherever  he 
went,  almost  always  with  success.  In  fact,  the  effect  of 
his  trip  was  almost  as  disastrous  to  the  commercial  com 
munities  of  the  South,  as  Sherman's  march  to  the  sea  was 
to  the  armies  of  the  Confederacy,  during  the  late  war. 
At  least,  he  managed  to  "beat"  all  he  came  in  contact 
with. 

In  Charleston,  he  made  one  negotiation  which  eventu 
ally  led  to  his  arrest.  He  purchased,  (under  his  alias  of 
George  Gomer,)  from  the  Bank  of  Charleston,  a  three- 
part  bill  of  exchange  on  the  Bank  of  Liverpool.  He 
mailed  the  "third"  part  to  Baring  Bros.  &  Co.,  requesting 
them  to  place  the  amount  to  the  credit  of  Blanchard, 
Sherman  &  Co.,  of  Boston,  subject  to  the  order  of  Henri 
Best.  He  kept  the  first  two  parts  until  he  reached  Balti 
more  ;  he  then  sold  them  to  the  Baltimore  branch  of 
Brown  Bros.  &  Co.,  giving  them  good  evidence  —  as  they 
thought  —  where  the  third  part  was.  When  sufficient 
time  had  elapsed,  he  went  to  Boston,  accompanied  by  the 
ever-faithful  Beatrice ;  calling  at  the  office  of  Blanchard, 


248          PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

Sherman  &  Co.,  he  demanded  payment  of  the  amount 
which  they  held  to  the  credit  of  Henri  Best.  The  bankers, 
thinking  there  was  something  a  little  unusual  in  the  trans 
action,  refused  to  pay  him  for  a  week;  but,  at  the  end  of 
that  time,  being  unable  to  give  any  reason  for  further 
delay,  they  paid  him  the  amount.  In  the  meantime, 
Brown  Bros.  &  Co.  had  presented  the  first  two  parts  of 
the  bill  in  Liverpool,  for  payment;  then  it  was  discovered 
that  the  third  part  had  already  been  paid  to  Baring  Bros. 
&  Co.  When  the  Baltimore  branch  of  the  house  received 
this  information,  instructions  were  sent  to  the  Boston 
branch  to  obtain  all  the  facts  possible  from  Blanchard, 
Sherman  &  Co.  On  conferring  with  that  firm,  the  Boston 
agent  began  to  suspect  that  "Gomer"  and  "Best  "were 
names  assumed  by  one  and  the  same  person ;  and  search 
was  immediately  commenced  for  him.  After  Imbert  had 
drawn  his  money,  he  returned  to  his  hotel,  intending  to 
start  for  New  York  the  next  day ;  but  an  unforeseen  event 
detained  him.  Beatrice  had  become  completely  worn 
out  with  excitement  and  travel.  There  were  no  Pullman 
palace  cars  in  those  days,  nor  were  the  other  comforts  of 
travel  by  any  means  equal  to  those  of  the  present  time ; 
so  that  a  series  of  long  journeys,  without  sufficient  rest 
between  them,  had  quite  broken  down  the  strength  of  the 
fair  Beatrice.  A  severe  cold,  caught  on  the  way  to 
Boston,  grew  gradually  worse,  until,  by  the  day  that  they 
were  to  start  for  New  York,  she  was  too  sick  to  be  moved. 
Inflammation  of  the  lungs  set  in,  and  although  every 
thing  was  done  that  medical  skill  could  devise  and  money 
procure,  nothing  could  save  her.  She  was  not  naturally 


THE  FRENCHMAN;  OR,  BILLS  OF  EXCHANGE.    249 

of  strong  vitality,  and  the  fatigues  of  the  last  few  weeks 
had  undermined  her  strength ;  within  a  week  she  died. 

As  Imbert  was  called  to  take  a  last  look  at  Beatrice  — 
the  beautiful  "Lily  of  the  South,"  as  she  was  called  — 
whom  he  had  trampled  under  foot  to  gratify  his  passions, 
who  would  have  envied  him  his  feelings  ? 

The  day  after  the  funeral,  as  Imbert  was  pacing  up  and 
down  the  long  hall  of  the  hotel,  trying  vainly  to  dispel 
his  sense  of  loneliness  and  remorse,  a  stranger  asked  him 
whether  he  was  Henri  Best.  On  replying  affirmatively, 
he  was  taken  into  custody  by  the  Chief  of  Police,  on  a 
charge  of  forgery.  He  was  sent  to  Baltimore,  on  the 
demand  of  the  Governor  of  Maryland,  and  was  there 
identified  as  the  man  who  had  sold  the  first  two  parts  of 
the  bill,  under  the  name  of  George  Gomer.  He  was 
remanded  to  jail  to  await  trial,  but  was  released,  in  less 
than  six  months,  on  "straw  bail." 

He  immediately  resumed  his  favorite  plan  of  making 
money.  In  June,  1856,  he  sent  to  one  of  the  principal 
shipping-houses  of  Baltimore,  a  forged  letter,  purporting 
to  be  from  Indoes  &  Co.,  of  St.  Thomas.  This  letter  bore 
the  private  marks  of  the  firm,  and  endorsed  the  credit  and 
character  of  one,  Louis  Ricard.  He  next  presented,  in 
person,  a  letter  from  Indoes  &  Co.,  introducing  himself  as 
Louis  Ricard  to  the  Baltimore  house.  On  the  strength  of 
his  introduction,  he  purchased  flour  to  the  value  of  four 
thousand  three  hundred  dollars,  and  paid  for  it  with  a 
forged  bill  of  exchange,  drawn  on  Rothschilds  &  Cohen, 
London.  He  then  sent  the  flour  to  New  York,  where  it 
was  sold,  and  the  proceeds  were  remitted  to  him,  under 
his  assumed  name. 


250          PINKERTON^S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

At  this  time,  he  was  fifty-five  years  old.  He  was  five 
feet,  nine  and  one-half  inches  in  height,  and  was  sparely 
built,  but  of  good  figure ;  head,  large  and  intellectual, 
covered  with  black  hair,  slightly  curly;  complexion,  sallow; 
face,  clean-shaven,  except  a  long,  heavy  moustache,  waxed 
at  the  ends  ;  eyes,  black,  and  very  magnetic,  always  in 
motion,  taking  in  everything  at  a  glance.  His  mouth  was 
his  weakest  feature,  being  large  and  sensual.  He  always 
dressed  neatly,  and  his  general  appearance  was  that  of  a 
man  of  large  abilities  and  ample  fortune.  He  was  very 
affable  in  his  manners,  and  his  conversation  was  peculiarly 
attractive.  He  felt  that  he  was  growing  old,  and  that  he 
must  endeavor  to  lay  up  a  fortune  for  his  support  in  his 
declining  years.  Flushed  with  his  previous  success,  he 
determined  to  operate  upon  a  larger  scale.  The  plan 
adopted  was,  in  general,  the  same  as  that  hitherto  em 
ployed;  there  were  some  important  additions,  however, 
which  were  wholly  original,  and  which  showed  remarkable 
ingenuity. 

And  now,  before  giving  the  details  of  the  forgeries  which 
put  me  on  Imbert's  track,  I  would  like  to  enter  my  protest 
against  the  way  in  which  the  "  detective  "  is  generally 
represented,  in  the  modern  novel  and  on  the  stage.  The 
detective  of  the  novel  is  a  very  thrilling  character,  the 
personification  of  silence,  and  the  soul  of  mystery.  When 
called  in  to  work  up  a  case,  he  answers  all  questions  in 
monosyllables  —  if  he  deign  to  answer  at  all  —  taps  his 
employer  mysteriously  on  .the  shoulder,  draws  him  into  a 
dark  closet,  and  says  : 

"Do  you  see  that?" 

If  the  employer  answers  "  yes,"  he  replies : 


THE  FRENCHMAN;  OR,  BILLS  OF  EXCHANGE.    251 

"  No,  you  don't ;  but  /  do. —  Leave  it  to  me  !  " 

In  fact,  he  may  be  described  as  a  man  with  conundrum 
on  the  brain. 

On  the  stage,  he  is  still  more  amusing,  and  the  moment 
he  appears,  every  one  recognizes  him ;  no  matter  what 
disguise  he  may  assume,  the  small  boys  chaff  him  unmer 
cifully,  knowing  at  once  that  it  is  the  detective.  I  would 
not  give  much  for  his  chances  among  genuine,  desperate 
criminals. 

The  detective  of  real  life  is  a  very  different  character. 
An  actor  sometimes  tries  to  play  the  part  of  a  detective 
on  the  stage  ;  the  detective  must  always  be  an  actor,  and 
nine-tenths  of  the  actors  on  the  stage  to-day,  would  do 
well  to  take  lessons  in  their  own  profession,  from  him. 
He  must  be  able  to  be,  to-day,  the  associate  of  gentlemen; 
—  to-morrow,  the  boon  companion  of  the  lowest  classes 
of  society.  At  an  instant's  warning,  he  must  be  ready  to 
go  wherever  he  may  be  ordered.  Sometimes,  for  weeks, 
he  may  have  little  or  no  rest ;  and  he  may  be  called  upon 
to  endure  hardships  and  dangers  which  few  men  have  the 
courage  to  face.  A  detective  on  my  force  must  remember 
the  motto,  "Crime  never  sleeps." 

The  individual  detective  of  former  days  has  passed 
away,  or,  if  he  exists,  has  become  corrupt.  In  order  to 
capture  the  perpetrators  of  crime  in  this  immense  coun 
try,  peopled  by  every  nationality  on  the  globe,  it  has 
become  necessary  to  establish  large  agencies,  conducted 
with  the  most  perfect  system.  In  tracing  criminals,  the 
manager  of  an  agency,  like  the  general  of  an  army,  lays 
out  the  plans  and  selects  the  men  to  carry  them  out ; 
sometimes,  in  important  matters,  going  to  the  field  of 


252          PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

operations  to  direct  in  person,  but  generally  giving  his 
instructions  from  the  main  office,  where  he  has  hundreds 
of  cases  to  look  after  at  a  time. 

With  this  trifling  digression,  I  will  return  to  the  history 
of  Jules  Imbert's  crimes. 


The  Belmont  Bill,  first  and  second,  of  Exchange. — Page  253. 


The  Belmont  Bill,  third  and  fourth^  of  Exchange. — Page  253. 


CHAPTER    III. 

ONE  morning  in  June,  1856,  Jules  Imbert  stepped 
into  the  office  of  A.  Belmont,  in  New  York,  intro 
duced  himself  as  Alexander  Gay,  and  stated  that  he  would 
like  a  bill  of  exchange  made  out  for  ^£2, 800  sterling,  pay 
able  to  his  own  order.  The  clerk,  a  German,  was  just 
making  out  a  regular  three-part  bill,  when  Gay  stepped 
up  to  him,  and  said : 

"  If  it  is  not  too  much  trouble,  be  so  good  as  to  make 
the  bill  out  in  four  parts ;  as  who  knows  but  that  the  other 
parts  may  be  lost.  If  I  have  a  failing,  I  must  say,  it  is  in 
being  over-cautious." 

The  clerk,  not  thinking  it  likely  that  a  man  who  could 
buy  a  bill  of  exchange  for  such  a  large  amount,  (nearly 
fourteen  thousand  dollars)  would  be  apt  to  commit  a  fraud, 
regarded  the  request  as  merely  a  whim,  and  made  out  the 
bill  as  desired.  Imbert  paid  cash  for  the  bill,  went  to  his 
hotel,  and  started  on  a  tour  through  the  West,  intending 
to  stop  at  Saratoga  and  Niagara  Falls,  to  recruit  his 
health. 

I  have  sketched  the  operations  of  Imbert,  up  to  this 
period  of  his  life,  from  information  gained  after  his  final 
capture ;  and  it  must  be  remembered  that,  up  to  this  time, 
I  had  had  no  personal  knowledge  of  him.  I  will  now  relate 
the  manner  in  which  he  first  came  under  my  notice,  and 
the  means  by  which  I  was  enabled  to  bring  him  to  justice. 


254  PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

In  the  month  of  August,  1856,  I  left  Chicago  for  the 
purpose  of  making  the  circuit  of  the  large  Western  cities, 
in  search  of  stolen  property.  The  numerous  routes  which 
to-day,  make  communication  so  rapid,  were  not  the/i  in 
existence ;  and,  in  consequence,  very  circuitous  routes 
were  traveled,  in  passing  from  city  to  city.  Therefore,  a 
journey  then  was  a  much  more  arduous  affair  than  now. 
From  Chicago,  I  went  to  Pittsburgh  ;  thence  to  Crestline; 
from  Crestline  to  Cincinnati ;  and  from  there  to  Cleveland 
(the  only  route  at  that  time  from  Cincinnati  to  Chicago), 
and  back  to  Chicago  by  the  Toledo  &  Cleveland  and  the 
Michigan  Southern  Railways. 

I  entered  my  office  in  the  early  part  of  the  afternoon, 
tired  and  sleepy,  from  my  journey ;  but  I  was  immedi 
ately  summoned  to  the  office  of  R.  K.  Swift,  Bro.  &  John 
ston,  prominent  bankers  of  the  city.  I  took  with  me 
two  of  my  best  men,  George  H.  Bangs  and  Timothy 
Webster.  Bangs  is  now  my  General  Superintendent  in 
New  York.  Webster,  who,  afterwards,  met  a  martyr's 
death  at  Richmond,  Va.,  while  serving  his  country  as  one 
of  her  truest  patriots,  was  equally  a  hero  with  Cooper's 
"  Harvey  Birch." 

On  approaching  the  bank,  I  saw  the  portly  form  of  R. 
K.  Swift  in  the  doorway.  Catching  sight  of  me,  he 
exclaimed  • 

"Run!  Pinkerton!  Run!" 

Tired  though  I  was,  this  put  me  immediately  on  the 
alert;  and  I  asked  what  he  meant  by  saying  "run !  "  and 
whom  did  he  wish  me  to  capture.  He  pointed  to  a  man 
just  getting  into  a  Clark  street  omnibus,  and  said : 

"  That's  the  man  !     I  want  you  to  4  spot '  him." 


THE  FRENCHMAN;  OR,  BILLS  OF  EXCHANGE.    255 

In  less  time  than  it  takes  to  tell  it,  I  had  pointed  out 
the  man  to  Bangs  and  Webster,  giving  them  instructions 
to  follow  him ;  one,  was  to  keep  always  on  his  track,  the 
other,  to  bring  reports,  and  get  orders  from  me.  They 
were  off  instantly,  and  I  followed  Mr.  Swift  into  his  pri 
vate  office.  I  found  that  he  knew  nothing  positively 
wrong  about  the  man,  but  that  he  had  had  his  suspicions 
aroused  by  circumstances,  which  he  proceeded  to  relate, 
as  follows  : 

On  the  morning  of  the  seventh  of  August,  a  well- 
dressed,  gentlemanly-appearing  man  called  at  the  office 
of  R.  K.  Swift,  Bro.  &  Johnston,  introduced  himself  as 
Alexander  Gay,  and  asked  whether  they  had  received  any 
notice  from  Detroit,  relative  to  a  small  draft.  He  was 
told  that  they  had  not,  and  he  went  away,  stating  that  he 
would  call  again.  The  noon  mail  brought  them  a  letter 
from  the  Peninsula  Bank,  of  Detroit,  containing  the  sig 
nature  of  Alexander  Gay.  That  gentleman  called  again 
in  the  afternoon,  and  presented  a  draft  on  them  for  fifty 
dollars,  drawn  by  the  Peninsula  Bank,  of  Detroit,  and 
payable  to  his  order.  His  signature  was  found  to  be  iden 
tical  with  the  one  forwarded  from  Detroit,  and  the  money 
was  paid  to  him.  Afterward,  in  conversation,  Gay  created 
a  very  favorable  impression  on  the  bankers  by  the  suavity 
of  his  manners  and  the  fund  of  knowledge  he  possessed. 
In  the  course  of  his  remarks  on  commercial  matters,  with 
which  he  was  thoroughly  acquainted,  he  showed  great 
familiarity  with  all  kinds  of  banking  and  mercantile  busi 
ness  ;  and  finally,  he  produced  a  bill  of  exchange  for 
^2,800  sterling,  first,  second,  and  third,  drawn  by  A. 
Belmont,  of  New  York,  on  N.  M.  Rothschild  &  Sons,  of 


256  PINKERTON^S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

London,  No.  5,437,  payable  to  the  order  of  Alexander 
Gay  at  three  days  sight,  and  dated  June  7,  1856.  This 
bill,  Gay  was  anxious  to  sell  at  a  low  rate,  staling  that  he 
had  made  a  good  bargain  in  real  estate,  and  he  needed 
a  considerable  sum  in  cash  to  consummate  it.  Mr. 
Swift  declined  purchasing  the  bill,  for  the  reason  that  the 
firm  was  not  used  to  dealing  in  exchange  so  extensively. 
Gay  then  went  away,  saying  that  he  intended  to  settle  in 
the  West  to  do  business. 

On  the  thirteenth  of  August,  he  called  again.  This  time 
he  had  nearly  fourteen  thousand  dollars,  in  one  hundred 
dollar  bills  of  the  Bank  of  the  State  of  Missouri,  which 
were  then  as  good  as  gold.  He  now  wished  to  purchase 
exchange  on  England;  and,  as  he  had  wished  to  sell,  only 
a  few  days  before,  they  thought  the  circumstances  rather 
singular,  and  made  some  inquiries  of  him.  Gay  stated  that, 
failing  to  sell  the  Belmont  bill  for  ^2,800  sterling, 
in  Chicago,  he  had  gone  to  St.  Louis,  where  he  had  sold  it 
to  E.  W.  Clark  &  Bro.,  receiving  the  one  hundred  dollar 
bills  in  payment.  Mr.  Swift,  accordingly,  telegraphed  to 
Clark  &  Bro.,  who  replied  that  they  had  paid  the  bills  to 
Gay.  While  waiting  an  answer  to  the  telegram,  Mr.  Swift 
made  a  number  of  inquiries  of  Gay,  particularly  with 
regard  to  his  reasons  for  wishing  to  purchase  exchange  so 
soon  after  selling.  During  this  interview,  Gay  gave  such 
frank,  plausible  answers,  and  explained  his  objects  and 
intentions  so  freely  and  reasonably,  that  the  suspicions  of 
Mr.  Swift  and  his  partners  were  almost  wholly  overcome. 
Finally,  they  agreed  to  sell  him  the  bills  he  wished,  but 
proposed  to  issue  time  bills,  payable  at  sixty  days.  Gay 
refused  to  take  anything  but  sight  paper,  however,  and  the 


J?.  K.  Swift  Bro.  &*  Johnston's  Bill  of  Exchange,  No.  19,930 — Page  257. 


7?.  K.  Swift  Bro.  &  Johnston's  Bill  of  Exchange,  No.  ig^g^i. — Page  257. 


THE  FRENCHMAN;  OR,  BILLS  OF  EXCHANGE.    257 

terms  were,  at  length,  agreed  to.  While  making  the 
arrangements,  he  inquired  very  minutely  as  to  the  form 
of  bill  used  by  the  firm,  and  learned  everything  possible, 
relative  to  their  mode  of  dealing  in  exchange.  Gay  then 
gave  them  a  memorandum  of  the  way  in  which  he  wanted 
the  bills  made  out,  and  they  were  drawn  accordingly. 

They  consisted  of  six  bills,  drawn  by  R.  K.  Swift,  Bro. 
&  Johnston,  on  the  London  and  Westminster  Bank,  of 
London,  payable  to  the  order  of  Mouline  Button,  all 
dated  August  13,  1856.  Their  numbers  and  amounts 
were  as  follows : 

No.  £    s    d 

19.930  .        .  498-7-o 

19.931  ....     498-7-0 

19.932  .         .  497-9-6 
i9>933  ....  497-9-6 
19)934                  •  349-J-6 
19,935  ....  349-!-6 

Just  before  Gay  left  the  bank,  Mr.  Swift  sent  for  me,  as 
his  suspicions  were  not  wholly  allayed ;  as  Gay  started 
off,  the  banker  became  nervous,  lest  I  should  fail  to  arrive 
in  time,  and,  losing  his  presence  of  mind,  he  greeted  me 
in  the  excited  manner  before  related. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

WITH  Mr.  Swift's  story  in  my  mind,  I  returned  to 
my  office,  to  think  the  matter  over.  There  were 
some  suspicious  circumstances,  but  nothing  tangible 
enough  to  act  upon.  It  was  evident  that  no  profit  could 
be  made  by  buying  and  selling  exchange,  as  Gay  was 
doing;  and,  the  more  I  reflected  upon  the  matter,  the 
more  I  became  convinced  that  something  was  wrong.  In 
the  evening,  Bangs  brought  me  a  report  which  confirmed 
my  suspicions,  and  I  determined  to  solve  the  mystery. 
Webster  had  followed  out  my  instructions  with  his  habit 
ual  secrecy  and  skill ;  so  that,  from  the  moment  Gay  seated 
himself  in  the  omnibus,  he  was  under  the  observation  of 
a  man  who  would  watch  his  every  action  with  the  care  of 
a  guardian  angel,  entirely  unknown  to  the  object  of  his 
attention.  Gay  proceeded  to  the  St.  Nicholas,  then  a 
leading  hotel,  on  Clark  street,  near  Polk ;  as  he  went  up 
the  steps,  he  brushed  by  his  guardian  angel,  who  had 
arrived  at  the  foot  of  the  front  stairway  a  second  before 
him.  Gay  made  some  slight  changes  in  his  dress,  and 
remained  at  the  hotel  until  supper-time,  holding  no  com 
munication  with  any  one,  but  sitting  in  the  reading-room, 
apparently  lost  in  thought.  Bangs  and  Webster  took 
supper  at  the  same  table  with  him,  but  he  remained  silent 
during  the  whole  meal.  After  supper,  he  walked  leisurely 
to  his  own  room,  made  some  further  changes  in  his  cloth- 


THE  FRENCHMAN;  OR ,  BILLS  OF  EXCHANGE.    259 

ing,  and  came  down  to  the  office.  While  conversing  with 
the  clerk,  he  made  some  inquiries  about  the  trains ;  this 
being  overheard  by  Webster,  led  the  latter  to  send  Bangs? 
tome  for  instructions,  as  it  was  evident  that  Gay  was 
about  to  depart.  Accordingly,  I  sent  Bangs  back  to  Web 
ster  with  some  money,  and  instructions  to  follow  Gay  as 
long  as  the  funds  would  hold  out. 

Gay  smoked  and  chatted  with  the  clerk  until  nearly 
train-time ;  he  then  paid  his  bill  and  departed,  satchel  in 
hand.  Reaching  an  unfrequented  spot,  he  changed  his 
coat  for  an  old,  well-worn  blouse,  and  put  on  a  pair  of 
very  green  spectacles  and  a  slouch  hat.  His  appearance 
was,  thus,  so  greatly  changed,  that  few  persons  would  have 
been  able  to  recognize  him  as  the  tastefully-dressed  Alex 
ander  Gay,  who  had  visited  Mr.  Swift.  His  movements 
had  been  carefully  noted  by  the  discreet  Webster,  how 
ever,  and  when  Gay  took  the  Michigan  Central  train, 
Webster  seated  himself  where  he  could  watch  every  move 
ment  of  the  suspicious  character  whom  he  had  been 
detailed  to  follow.  All  the  way  to  Detroit,  Gay  sat  mo 
tionless  ;  but,  when  within  a  short  distance  of  the  depot, 
he  passed  out  to  the  platform  and  sprang  off,  while  the 
cars  were  still  in  rapid  motion.  As  he  jumped  on  one 
side,  the  detective  passed  to  the  other  end  of  the  car  and 
stepped  off  on  the  opposite  side ;  so  that,  when  Gay 
dodged  around  to  the  Canada  boat,  his  "  shadow  "  was 
close  behind  him.  At  Windsor,  they  both  took  the  train 
for  Hamilton,  whence  Webster  telegraphed  to  me  for  fur 
ther  instructions.  As  I  had  been  unable  to  interest  any 
one  in  the  case,  I  was  reluctantly  obliged  to  recall  him  ; 
though  I  felt  convinced  that  some  fraud  was  in  contem- 


260          PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVF.    STORIES. 

plation,  or  had  been  already  committed,  by  the  so-called 
Alexander  Gay.  The  day  after  my  interview  with  Mr. 
Swift,  I  sent  a  telegram  to  Clark  &  Bro.,  of  St.  Louis, 
asking  whether  the  bill  they  had  bought  of  Gay  was  all 
right,  and  stating  my  suspicions  with  regard  to  him.  They 
replied  that  Gay  had  brought  a  letter  of  introduction  from 
I.  H.  Burch  &  Co.,  of  Chicago,  to  Lucas  &  Simmonds,  of 
St.  Louis,  and  that,  to  all  appearances,  the  transaction 
was  perfectly  regular.  I  then  made  inquiries  of  I.  H. 
Burch  &  Co.,  and  learned  that  Gay  had  bought  a  draft 
from  them  on  Lucas  &  Simmonds,  payable  to  his  order, 
for  two  hundred  dollars.  He  had  requested  I.  H.  Burch 
&  Co.,  to  forward  his  signature  to  Lucas  &  Simmonds,  as 
he  had  no  acquaintances  in  St.  Louis.  This,  they  had 
done,  but  had  given  him  no  letter  of  introduction.  I, 
therefore,  advised  Clark  &  Bro.  of  this  circumstance, 
which,  at  last,  put  them  on  the  alert,  and  led  to  further 
developments. 

It  was  discovered  that  Gay  had  written  to  Lucas  & 
Simmonds,  August  9,  1856,  offering  for  sale  a  bill  of 
exchange  for  ^£2,800  sterling,  on  the  Rothschilds,  which 
he  had  been  unable  to  sell  in  Chicago  without  heavy  loss; 
if  their  offer  suited,  he  would  send  it  to  them.  On  the 
twelfth,  he  called  upon  them  in  person,  drew  the  two  hun 
dred  dollars  on  the  Burch  draft,  and  proposed  to  nego 
tiate  the  bill  of  exchange  which  he  had  previously  men 
tioned.  As  they  did  not  wish  to  purchase,  he  called  on 
Clark  &  Bro.,  to  whom  he  offered  the  draft,  referring  them 
to  Lucas  &  Simmonds.  On  making  inquiries  of  the  latter, 
Clark  &  Bro.  were  satisfied  that  Gay  was  all  right ;  they, 
therefore,  purchased  the  bill,  paying  for  it  in  one  hundred 


THE  FRENCHMAN;  OR,  BILLS  OF  EXCHANGE.    261 

dollar  bills,  and  immediately  sending  it  forward,  for  col 
lection,  to  their  New  York  house,  Clarke,  Dodge  &  Co. 
By  this  time,  I  had  convinced  Clark  &  Bro.  that  some 
thing  was  wrong,  and  had  obtained  authority  to  carry  on 
the  investigation  for  them. 

I  had  decided  upon  a  plan  to  save  them  from  loss,  in 
case  the  Belmont  bill  should  prove  to  be  a  forgery.  In 
pursuance  of  this  plan,  I  called  upon  Messrs.  R.  K.  Swift, 
Bro.  &  Johnston,  laid  the  facts  before  them,  and  asked 
them  to  stop  the  payment  of  the  bills  which  they  had  sold 
to  Gay.  At  my  earnest  solicitation,  for  the  protection  of 
Messrs.  Clark  &  Bro.,  they  consented  (though  at  the  risk 
of  endangering  their  own  commercial  credit)  to  stop  the 
payment  of  their  bills.  No  time  was  to  be  lost.  It  was 
now  the  fifteenth  of  the  month,  and  late  in  the  day.  The 
drafts  would  leave  New  York  on  the  steamer  of  the  six 
teenth.  If  the  letter  of  advice,  stopping  the  payment  of 
the  bills,  failed  to  go  by  that  steamer  also,  Clark  &  Bro.'s 
chances  of  saving  anything  would  be  very  small.  Swift, 
Bro.  &  Johnston  immediately  telegraphed  to  their  New 
York  branch,  Swift,  Ransom  &  Co.,  who  wrote  to  the 
London  and  Westminster  Bank  to  refuse  payment  of  the 
bills  drawn  in  favor  of  Mouline  Button.  This  letter  was 
put  on  board  the  steamer  only  seven  minutes  prior  to  her 
time  of  sailing. 


18 


CHAPTER    V. 

HAVING  stopped  the  payment  of  the  Swift  bills,  I 
proceeded  to  find  out  the  facts  in  regard  to  the 
Belmont  bill  for  ^2,800  sterling.  I  advised  my  New 
York  agent  of  the  occurrences  at  St.  Louis  and 
Chicago,  and  directed  him  to  call  at  Belmont's  to  make 
inquiries  about  the  bill.  He,  accordingly,  asked  Bel 
mont's  cashier  whether  they  knew  anything  about  a  bill 
of  exchange  for  ^2,800  sterling,  drawn  in  favor  of  Alex 
ander  Gay. 

"Yes,"  said  the  cashier;  "that  bill  was  presented  to  us 
to-day  for  negotiation  by  Clarke,  Dodge  &  Co.,  but  we 
refused  to  buy." 

"  Why ;  was  it  a  forgery  ?" 

"Oh!  no,  indeed;  we  knew  it  to  be  a  genuine  three- 
part  bill,  drawn  by  us  in  June ;  but  we  feared  that  the 
signature  of  Alexander  Gay,  endorsing  it,  was  a  forgery." 

The  cashier  then  explained  the  reasons  for  so  thinking, 
as  follows  :  The  clerk  who  made  out  the  bill  was  a  Ger 
man,  and,  not  being  sure  as  to  the  way  of  spelling  "Gay," 
he  requested  the  purchaser  to  write  the  name,  himself. 
The  gentleman  did  so,  and  in  forming  the  letter  "jy,"  in 
Gay,  he  brought  up  the  hair-line,  or  tail  of  the  letter,  as 
in  the  letter  ug/'  while,  in  the  endorsement,  the  hair-line 
was  brought  up  as  in  the  letter  "^." 

As  the  reader  already  knows,  the  bill  was  a  four-part 


THE  FRENCHMAN;  OR,  BILLS  OF  EXCHANGE.    263 

one,  made  so  at  the  particular  request  of  Gay ;  and  how 
the  clerk  could  have  forgotten  the  fourth  part,  while  he 
so  distinctly  recalled  the  exact  way  in  which  Gay  formed 
the  letter  "y"  is  a  mystery  beyond  comprehension.  At 
the  time,  however,  the  circumstance  gave  him  a  great 
deal  of  notoriety;  and  the  skill  he  displayed  in  detecting 
the  forgery  made  him  the  envy  of  all  the  New  York  bank 
clerks.  When  the  whole  truth  became  known,  the  firm 
were  so  thankful  to  him  for  preventing  them  from  nego 
tiating  the  bill,  that  they  were  willing  to  take  no  notice 
of  his  carelessness  in  making  it  out. 

Notwithstanding  Belmont's  refusal  to  negotiate  the  bill, 
Clarke,  Dodge  &  Co.  sent  forward  one  of  the  parts  to 
London  for  collection.  The  bill  having  been  recognized 
by  Belmont  as  genuine,  it  became  necessary  to  find  the 
original  Alexander  Gay ;  but,  although  search  was  made 
in  every  direction,  no  trace  of  him  could  be  found,  nor 
could  anything  be  discovered  relative  to  Mouline  Button. 
No  news  could  be  obtained  from  England,  until  the 
arrival  of  the  steamer  of  September  i6th;  hence,  some 
time  passed  without  any  developments,  and  the  mystery 
seemed  to  grow  deeper  and  darker. 

On  the  8th  of  September,  Swift  Bro.  &  Johnston 
received  a  telegram  from  Chapman  &  Co.,  of  Montreal, 
dated  September  6th,  inquiring  whether  the  Chicago 
bankers  had  sold  Mouline  Button  a  bill  of  exchange  for 
over  ^"200  sterling,  on  London.  Mr.  Swift  immediately 
sent  the  telegram  to  me,  and  answered  that  such  a  draft 
had  been  sold;  but  that  there  were  suspicious  circum 
stances  connected  with  the  purchaser,  which  would  make 
it  inadvisable  for  them  to  negotiate  it. 


264  PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

Having  now  obtained  a  clue  to  the  whereabouts  of 
Button,  I  laid  my  plans,  and  Bangs  started  the  same 
evening  for  Montreal.  The  next  morning,  I  received 
intelligence  from  Chapman  &  Co.,  with  whom  I  had 
opened  communication  by  telegraph,  that  the  bill  had 
been  sent  to  them  from  Port  Hope. 

I  always  make  it  a  rule  to  time  my  men,  while  travel 
ing,  and  to  have  them  inquire  at  specified  places  for  dis 
patches.  In  this  way,  I  was  able  to  stop  Bangs  at 
Toronto,  and  turn  his  course  to  Port  Hope. 

On  arriving  there,  he  went  to  the  North  American 
Hotel,  where  he  found  the  gentleman  who  had  created 
such  an  excitement  in  Chicago  and  St.  Louis,  as  Alex 
ander  Gay;  he  had  now  resumed  his  own  name,  Jules 
Imbert.  He  had  shaved  off  his  moustache,  and  made 
other  alterations  in  his  personal  appearance ;  but  Bangs 
soon  detected  his  disguise.  Having  satisfied  himself  that 
Imbert  was  identical  with  Gay,  Bangs  called  upon  Thomas 
Turner,  Esq.,  the  agent  of  Chapman  &  Co.,  and  sent  for 
the  chief  constable  of  the  town.  He  then  showed  them 
a  strong  chain  of  suspicious  circumstances  concerning 
Imbert,  alias  Gay ;  but,  being  unable  to  prefer  any  posi 
tive  charges  against  the  latter,  he  could  not  induce  the 
constable  to  interfere  with  Imbert's  movements.  Bangs 
was  too  old  a  hand  to  be  foiled  by  the  imbecility  of  a 
subordinate;  he,  therefore,  applied  to  the  Mayor  for 
authority  to  arrest  the  supposed  forger.  The  Mayor, 
having  heard  all  the  circumstances  of  the  case,  took  a 
different  view  of  his  duty  from  that  of  the  constable,  and 
gave  orders  that  Imbert  be  detained  for  the  night. 

Bangs  then  returned  to  the  hotel,  with  a  constable  in 


THE  FRENCHMAN,   OR,  BILLS  OF  EXCHANGE.    265 

reserve,  to  come  in  when  wanted,  and  asked  Imbert  to 
favor  him  with  a  private  interview.  Imbert  consented, 
and  they  entered  a  private  room.  Bangs  opened  the 
conversation  by  inquiring  after  Monsieur  Imbert's  health. 

"I  am  in  excellent  health,"  replied  Imbert;  "but  you 
have  the  advantage  of  me.  May  I  inquire  your  name?" 

"  I  am  not  at  liberty  to  disclose  my  name  just  at  pres 
ent,"  said  Bangs ;  "  but  I  am  an  agent  of  E.  W.  Clarke  & 
Bro.,  of  St.  Louis,  and  have  come  to  make  inquiries  about 
that  bill  for  two  thousand  eight  hundred  pounds  sterling, 
that  you  sold  them." 

At  this,  Imbert.  raised  his  hands,  as  if  in  utter  astonish 
ment,  and  said : 

"The  bill  for  two  thousand  eight  hundred  pounds 
sterling  that  I  sold  to  Clarke  &  Bro.!  Why,  my  dear  sir, 
I  have  not  the  pleasure  of  knowing  the  gentlemen.  You 
have  probably  made  a  mistake  in  the  person.  It  is  quite 
one  good  joke,  I  assure  you." 

"  Mr.  Imbert,"  said  Bangs,  "  there  is  no  use  in  trying  to 
beat  'round  the  bush.  I  know  you  and  your  operations 
thoroughly.  The  best  thing  you  can  do  is  to  make  a 
clean  breast  of  it,  and  compromise  the  matter  with 
Clarke  &  Bro." 

"You  have  made  one  great  mistake,  sir,"  Imbert 
retorted,  sharply.  "  I  know  nothing  of  what  you  say." 

"Then,  sir,"  replied  Bangs,  "I  will  give  you  an  oppor 
tunity  to  refresh  your  memory.  There  is  a  constable 
outside,  ready  to  arrest  you.  I  will  see  you  in  the 
morning,  and  I  trust,  by  that  time,  that  you  will  have 
come  to  your  senses." 

"You  shall  pay  dear  for  this,"  said  Imbert,  excitedly. 


266  PINKER  TON '  S  DE  TECTIVE  STORIES. 

"I  will  show  you  that  a  gentleman  cannot  be  insulted 
with  impunity." 

Bangs,  finding  that  nothing  could  be  done  for  the  time 
being,  called  in  the  constable,  and  Imbert  was  taken  to 
jail.  An  inventory  of  his  effects  was  made,  and  they 
were  found  to  consist  of  fifteen  dollars  in  money,  a  small 
memorandum  book,  and  a  letter,  dated  September  4,  1855. 
This  letter  was  signed  M.  Button,  and  was  enclosed  in 
an  envelope  addressed  to  J.  Imbert,  Esq.,  North  American 
Hotel.  In  the  morning,  Bangs  visited  Imbert  in  jail. 
Bangs  pretended  to  know  much  more  of  Imbert's  opera 
tions  than  he  really  did  know,  and  Imbert  finally  agreed 
to  go  to  New  York  quietly,  in  order  to  compromise  with 
Clark  &  Bro. 

I  had  instructed  Bangs  that  the  case  was  being 
investigated  in  the  interests  of  Clark  &  Bro.,  and  that 
his  first  duty  was  to  save  them  from  loss.  Imbert's  ope 
rations  in  Canada  had  been  very  suspicious,  and  it  was 
possible  that  he  might  be  arrested  at  any  moment  by  the 
Canadian  authorities ;  in  which  case,  Clark  &  Bro.  prob 
ably  would  not  recover  anything.  Hence,  Bangs  was 
desirous  of  taking  Imbert  to  New  York  quietly,  without 
having  recourse  to  the  extradition  treaty. 

Imbert,  on  his  part,  was  induced  to  accept  Bangs'  pro 
position  by  the  fact,  that  he  found  himself  in  a  tight 
place  ;  and,  of  the  two  evils,  he  preferred  the  one  which 
offered  the  best  chance  of  escape.  He  knew,  from  what 
Bangs  had  told  him,  that  his  operations  in  Canada  had 
been  discovered,  and  that  he  was  liable  to  be  arrested 
and  brought  to  trial  in  Canada,  where  a  long  term  of 
imprisonment  would  follow  his  conviction.  Whereas, 


The  genuine  first  of  Exchange, 
Belmont  Bill. 


The  altered  first  of    Exchange, 
Belmont  Bill. — Page  268. 


THE  FRENCHMAN;  OR,  BILLS  OF  EXCHANGE,    267 

Clark  &  Bro.,  having  a  large  amount  at  stake,  would  be 
willing  to  let  the  matter  drop,  on  receiving  back  the 
amount  of  the  bill  and  their  expenses.  He  was,  of 
course,  unaware  of  the  action  taken  to  stop  the  payment 
of  the  Swift  bills,  and  it  was  upon  the  proceeds  of  those 
bills  that  he  relied,  to  enable  him  to  satisfy  Clark  &  Bro. 
In  the  course  of  the  conversation,  Imbert  stated  that 
he  had  turned  over  the  six  bills  bought  of  Swift,  to 
Mouline  Button ;  that  the  latter  had  forwarded  three  of 
them  to  London  for  collection ;  that  he  had  sent  one  to 
Chapman  &  Co.;  and  that  he  still  retained  two  in  his 
possession.  He  added  that  Button,  who  was  at  Coburg, 
only  seven  miles  from  Port  Hope,  would  willingly  give  up 
the  bills  and  proceeds,  to  assist  him — Imbert — in  making 
reparation. 


CHAPTER    VI. 

IN  this  long  interview,  Bangs  showed  great  skill  in 
drawing  out  all  the  particulars  of  the  swindle,  and  the 
manner  of  manipulating  the  Belmont  bill.  The  bill  hav 
ing  been  made  out  in  four  parts,  Imbert  had  retained  the 
first  three  parts,  and  had  sent  the  fourth  to  London  for 
collection.  The  three  parts  had  been  made  out  on  the 
printed  form  of  a  regular  three-part  bill,  on  one  sheet, 
the  fourth  part  being  an  odd  one.  There  being  no 
printed  forms  for  a  four-part  bill,  (such  bills  being  rarely, 
if  ever,  needed,)  the  clerk  had  used  a  three-part  blank, 
writing  the  words,  "  and  fourth,"  between  the  lines,  and 
forgetting  to  erase  the  word  "and,"  in  the  phrase, 
"secongl  and  third."  By  drawing  a  heavy  black  line 
over  the  words,  "and  fourth,"  the  bill  was  changed  into 
an  ordinary  three-part  one;  as  the  black  line,  being 
drawn  between  the  printed  lines,  did  not  mar  the  appear 
ance  of  the  bill. 

Imbert  gave,  also,  a  very  full  description  of  Mouline 
Dutton,  whose  mother's  name  was  DeLorge.  The  pro 
ceeds  of  the  bills  sent  to  England  were  to  be  forwarded 
by  mail  to  Adrian  DeLorge,  a  name  assumed  by  Dutton 
for  the  occasion,  at  Quebec.  As  Imbert  expressed  a 
desire  to  find  Dutton,  Bangs  induced  the  authorities  to  put 
Imbert  in  his  charge,  and  went  with  him  to  Coburg.  Still, 
no  trace  of  the  mythical  Mouline  Dutton  could  be  found, 


THE  FRENCHMAN;  OR,  BILLS  OF  EXCHANGE.    269 

nor  any  evidence  that  he  had  ever  been  in  the  town. 
Bangs,  therefore,  decided  to  start  at  once  for  New  York ; 
and  that  day  the  detective  and  his  voluntary  prisoner  took 
passage  on  a  steamer,  to  cross  Lake  Ontario. 

He  was  not  a  moment  too  soon.  I  had  warned  Chap 
man  &  Co.  of  the  suspicious  character  of  the  man,  Gay, 
who  had  purchased  the  Swift  bills,  and  on  examining  the 
one  sent  them  for  negotiation,  they  thought  they  discov 
ered  evidences  of  forgery.  They,  therefore,  advised  all 
their  correspondents  in  Canada  to  be  on  their  guard 
against  buying  any  of  those  bills.  The  movements  of 
Bangs  at  Port  Hope  and  Coburg,  had  become  known,  and 
that  very  afternoon,  a  dispatch  had  been  sent  to  Coburg, 
to  arrest  Button.  A  consultation  was,  therefore,  held  by 
some  of  the  Coburghers,  as  to  the  propriety  of  arresting 
Imbert,  on  the  suspicion  that  he  was  Button;  while  the 
consultation  was  still  in  progress,  the  steamer  came  in,  and 
Bangs  hurried  his  prisoner  aboard.  As  the  steamer  cast 
off  from  the  dock,  it  was  decided  to  arrest  Imbert,  and 
the  party  rushed  on  board  for  that  purpose  ;  but  it  was 
too  late.  The  steamer  was  an  American  craft,  and  she 
had  just  pushed  off  from  Canadian  soil ;  hence,  she  was 
not  amenable  to  Canadian  laws,  and  the  disappointed 
party  of  amateur  detectives  were  forced  to  jump  ashore, 
in  great  haste. 

I  need  scarcely  add  that  this  escape  was  one  of  the 
luckiest  things  that  could  have  happened,  since,  had  Im 
bert  been  arrested  and  tried  in  Canada,  the  Crown  would 
have  confiscated  all  his  money.  I  was,  therefore,  partic 
ularly  pleased  at  Bangs'  discreet  management,  in  getting 
Imbert  into  the  United  States  quietly. 


270          PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

On  Bangs'  arrival  in  New  York,  he  went  to  the  office  of 
Clarke,  Dodge  &  Co.,  and  informed  them  of  the  disclo 
sures  of  Imbert,  relative  to  the  Belmont  bill;  also,  of 
Imbert's  offer,  to  give  them  an  order  for  the  proceeds  of 
the  three  Swift  bills,  which  he  had  forwarded  to  Claude 
Scott  &  Co.,  of  London,  for  collection.  To  insure  them 
selves  against  loss,  Clarke,  Dodge  &  Co.  commenced  a 
civil  suit  against  Imbert,  for  the  amount  paid  to  him  for 
the  Belmont  bill  by  the  St.  Louis  branch  of  the  house. 
Pending  negotiations  for  the  desired  object,  Imbert  was 
confined  in  the  Eldridge  street  jail,  and  a  requisition  was 
obtained  from  the  Governor  of  Missouri,  on  which  to  take 
him  to  St.  Louis,  for  trial  on  a  criminal  charge.  Of  this 
latter  fact,  however,  he  was  kept  in  ignorance. 


ft.  K.  Swift  Bro.  &  Johnston 's  bill ;  the  "original"  of  No.  19^31  altered 
No.  79,9^0,  and  the  genuine  "duplicate"  of  No.  79,930. — Page  271. 


CHAPTER     VII. 

HAVING  Imbert  safely  caged,  I  now  turned  my 
attention  to  the  task  of  discovering  his  operations 
with  the  Swift  bills  ;  and  my  efforts  in  this  direction  led 
to  the  disclosure  of  one  of  the  best-laid  schemes  of  fraud 
that  I  have  ever  known.  It  will  be  remembered  that 
Imbert,  before  purchasing  the  bills  of  exchange  from  R. 
K.  Swift,  Bro.  &  Johnston,  had  made  inquiries  as  to  the 
form  in  which  they  issued  their  bills.  These  were  made 
out  in  two  parts,  which  were  exactly  similar,  except  that 
the  word,  "  Original,"  was  printed  in  large,  red  letters 
upon  one,  and  the  word,  "  Duplicate,"  on  the  other.  The 
manner  in  which  Imbert  altered  these  bills,  was  as  inge 
nious  as  his  operation  with  the  Belmont  bill.  He  bought 
six  separate  bills,  paired  off  into  series  for  equal  amounts. 
Bill  No.  19,930  consisted  of  two  parts,  original  and  dupli 
cate,  for  ^498  7,?;  bill  No.  19,931,  original  and  duplicate, 
was  for  a  like  amount.  He  then  sent  the  original  of  No. 
19,930,  and  the  duplicate  of  No.  19,931,  to  England,  for 
collection,  retaining  the  duplicate  of  No.  19,930,  and  the 
original  of  No.  19,931.  By  simply  changing  the  figure  i, 
at  the  end  of  the  latter  number,  to  a  o,  he  had  a  forged 
two-part  bill  that  would  defy  detection.  By  changing  the 
other  series  in  the  same  manner,  he  had  three  full  bills 
left  to  negotiate  in  this  country ;  while  he  intended  to 
collect,  also,  the  total  of  the  six  bills,  in  England.  But 


272  PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

Imbert  was  destined  to  learn  that  "  the  best-laid  schemes 
of  mice  and  men  gang  aft  aglee." 

It  will  be  remembered  that  Mr.  Swift  could  see  no  valid 
reason  why  he  should  not  sell  the  bills  asked  for  by  Gay ; 
yet  he  had  an  undefined  suspicion  that  all  was  not  right, 
which  induced  him  to  send  for  me.  Though  he  endeav 
ored  not  to  show  any  sign  of  such  a  feeling  to  Imbert,  the 
latter  was  aware,  when  he  left  the  bank,  that  Mr.  Swift  was 
distrustful  of  something  wrong.  This  accounted  for  the 
disguise  assumed  in  traveling,  and  the  secrecy  of  his 
movements.  He  did  not  imagine  that  Mr.  Swift  had  sus 
pected  him  to  the  extent  of  putting  a  detective  upon  his 
track ;  but  he  preferred  to  be  on  the  safe  side,  and  to  hide 
his  traces,  in  case  of  any  future  attempt  to  follow  him. 
His  instinct,  as  to  the  thoughts  in  the  minds  of  other  men, 
was  so  sensitive  and  accurate  as  to  warn  him  against 
Swift ;  but  his  judgment,  in  acting  upon  the  warning,  was 
at  fault.  Had  he  proceeded,  after  leaving  Swift's  office, 
like  an  ordinary  business  man,  engaged  in  honorable  and 
legitimate  enterprises,  there  would  have  been  little  or  no 
reason  to  follow  him  up,  or  to  investigate  his  previous 
actions  ;  but  the  fact,  that  his  movements  were  so  suspi 
cious,  brought  on  the  inquiries  which  exposed  his  schemes. 
It  will  thus  be  seen  how  rarely  it  is  possible  for  criminals, 
no  matter  how  able  and  experienced  they  may  be,  to  act 
so  as  to  escape  detection ;  and,  sometimes,  as  in  this  case, 
their  most  careful  efforts  to  cover  their  tracks,  are  the 
very  means  of  their  discovery. 

After  receiving  his  bills  from  Swift,  Imbert,  as  already 
stated,  went  to  Canada,  Webster  following  him  as  far  as 
Hamilton.  Thence,  as  was  afterward  learned,  he  went 


THE  FRENCHMAN;  OR,  BILLS  OF  EXCHANGE.    273 

to  Port  Hope,  where  he  made  his  arrangements  to  per 
sonate  Mouline  Dutton,  as  well  as  Jules  Imbert ;  and  so 
successful  was  he,  that  it  was  not  until  a  long  time  after 
his  arrest,  that  his  double  identity  was  discovered. 

On  the  second  of  September,  he  wrote  to  Chapman  & 
Co.,  Montreal,  enclosing  apparently,  the  original  and 
duplicate  of  the  Swift  bill,  No.  19,935,  for  ^349  is  6d ; 
he  requested  them  to  negotiate  it,  and  to  forward  the 
proceeds  to  him  by  a  certificate  of  deposit  on  the  Bank 
of  Montreal.  This  letter  he  signed  "  M.  Dutton."  The 
request  was  unusual  to  Chapman  &  Co.;  and,  not  know 
ing  the  endorser,  they  telegraphed  to  M.  Dutton,  at  Port 
Hope,  making  an  offer,  and  also  to  R.  K.  Swift,  Bro.  & 
Johnston,  asking  information  about  the  bill.  The  opera 
tor  at  Port  Hope  replied  that  M.  Dutton  could  not  be 
found.  This  appeared  suspicious  to  Chapman  &  Co.; 
and,  on  a  close  examination  of  the  bill,  they  discovered 
the  alteration  in  the  number.  My  dispatches  to  them 
confirmed  their  suspicions,  and  they  had  the  satisfaction 
of  knowing  that  their  prompt  action  had,  not  only  saved 
themselves  from  loss,  but  had,  doubtless,  been  the  means 
of  saving  others. 

On  the  second  of  September,  also,  Imbert  wrote,  under 
the  name  of  Dutton,  to  W.  R.  McDonald,  of  Plamilton, 
and  enclosed  both  parts  of  the  altered  Swift  bill,  No. 
19,933,  for  ^"497  gs  6d.  He  requested  McDonald  to 
negotiate  it,  and  to  forward  the  proceeds  to  M.  Dutton, 
by  a  certificate  of  deposit  on  the  Bank  of  Montreal. 
McDonald,  being  over-anxious  to  do  business,  endorsed 
it  himself  and  sold  it  to  the  Bank  of  British  North 
America.  The  bank  issued  a  certificate  of  deposit  for 


274  PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

the  amount,  payable  to  M.  Button,  and  sent  it  in  a  regis 
tered  letter  to  him  at  Port  Hope.  Imbert  took  the  letter 
from  the  post-office,  signing  the  register  M.  Button,  but 
he  had  not  drawn  the  money  at  the  time  of  his  capture 
by  Bangs.  The  bill  was  sent  to  England  for  collection, 
and,  on  the  eighth  of  October,  was  returned  unpaid,  hav 
ing  been  thrown  out  as  an  altered  bill.  On  telegraphing 
to  Port  Hope  for  information,  McBonald  was  informed 
that  Button  was  a  swindler,  and  that  his  accomplice  was  a 
prisoner  in  New  York.  Before  this,  however,  Imbert  had 
effected  a  sale  of  the  certificate  of  deposit,  through  his 
attorney  in  New  York,  receiving  for  it  about  two  thousand 
four  hundred  dollars  and  McBonald  was,  therefore,  the 
loser  of  that  amount.  That  gentleman  had  the  altered 
bill  framed  and  hung  in  his  private  office,  to  serve  as  a 
perpetual  warning  to  him ;  much  in  the  same  way  that 
many  citizens  of  Chicago  preserved  their  worthless  insur 
ance  policies,  after  the  great  fire,  as  expensive  relics  of 
that  event. 

On  the  sixth  of  September,  Imbert  wrote  a  letter, 
signed  M.  Button,  to  Thomas  Clarkson,  of  Toronto, 
enclosing  the  altered  Swift  bill,  No.  19,930,  for  ^498  75  ; 
he  asked  them  to  negotiate  the  bill  immediately,  and 
forward  the  proceeds,  by  a  certificate  of  deposit  on  one 
of  the  Toronto  banks.  Clarkson  sold  the  bill  the  same 
day  to  the  bank  of  Toronto,  and  remitted  the  amount  to 
Button  by  a  draft  at  three  days  sight,  drawn  on  I.  E, 
Welsh,  of  Port  Hope,  advising  Button  of  the  remittance 
by  telegraph.  Imbert  took  the  letter  containing  the 
draft  from  the  post-office  on  the  tenth,  but  had  not  drawn 
the  money  at  the  time  of  his  departure.  On  the  eleventh, 


THE  FRENCHMAN;  OR,  BILLS  OF  EXCHANGE.    275 

Clarkson  received  warning  from  Chapman  &  Co.  against 
buying  exchange  from  Button.  The  advice  was  received 
too  late  to  prevent  the  purchase,  but  in  time  to  stop  pay 
ment  of  the  draft.  Clarkson  was  thus  barely  saved  from 
as  great  a  loss  as  that  of  McDonald. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

I  WILL  now  return  to  the  account  of  the  steps  taken 
to  save  Clark  &  Bro.,  of  St.  Louis,  from  loss,  and  to 
bring  Imbert  to  punishment. 

Imbert  made  himself  perfectly  at  home  in  the  New  York 
jail;  he  expressed  his  great  readiness  and  ability  to 
reimburse  the  St.  Louis  bankers  for  the  amount  paid  them 
for  the  Belmont  bill,  and,  also,  their  expenses ;  in  all 
about  fourteen  thousand  dollars.  All  he  wished  was  to 
communicate  with  his  cher  ami,  Mouline  Button,  when 
the  amount  would  be  forthcoming.  He  had  brought 
himself  to  this  frame  of  mind  by  the  following  reasoning : 

He  supposed  that  the  six  Swift  bills,  which  he  had  for 
warded  to  London  for  collection,  had  been  cashed,  and 
that  the  amount,  about  thirteen  thousand  dollars,  was  in 
Montreal,  so  tied  up  as  to  be  available  only  to  him.  He 
had  received  about  two  thousand  four  hundred  dollars 
cash  on  the  bill  sold  to  McDonald,  and  he  held  the  draft 
obtained  by  Clarkson  from  the  Bank  of  Toronto,  for  an 
equal  amount.  He  expected  to  be  able  to  compromise 
with  Clarkson  and  McDonald  for  about  two  thousand 
dollars  each,  thus  making  the  total  amount  necessary  to 
compromise,  about  eighteen  thousand  dollars.  His  assets 
he  figured  as  follows  : 


THE  FRENCHMAN;  OR,  BILLS  OF  EXCHANGE.    277 

Cash ,. .- $2,400 

Draft  of  Bank  of  Toronto  on  I.  E.  Welsh 2,400 

Six  bills  of  R.  K.  Swift  Bro.  &  Johnston 13,000 

Belmont  bill,  the  fourth  part  of  which  he  had 

forwarded  for  collection _ .   13,600 


Total $31 ,400 

Unfortunately  for  him,  several  circumstances  of  which 
he  was  unaware,  had  occurred,  which  quite  overthrew  his 
calculations.  I  had  set  the  extensive  resources  of  my 
establishment  in  operation,  and  I  was  determined  not  only 
to  bring  him  to  justice,  but  to  save  his  victims  from  loss. 

Accordingly,  I  arranged  for  the  stoppage  of  all  letters 
directed  to  any  of  his  known  aliases ;  and,  on  the  twenty- 
fifth  of  September,  I  received  a  dispatch  from  Montreal, 
stating  that  a  letter  was  in  that  post-office,  addressed  to 
Mouline  Button,  which  apparently  contained  bills  of 
exchange.  The  Canadian  postal  authorities,  on  repre 
sentation  of  the  facts,  sent  the  letter  to  Clarke,  Dodge  & 
Co.,  who  took  possession  of  its  contents.  These  proved 
to  be  the  six  genuine  bills  of  R.  K.  Swift  Bro.  &  Johnston, 
which  Imbert  had  forwarded  for  collection  to  Claude 
Scott  &  Co.,  London.  The  latter-named  firm,  had  pre 
sented  the  bills  for  payment;  but,  finding  that  payment 
on  them  had  been  stopped  by  Swift,  Ransom  &  Co.,  they 
had  sent  the  bill  to  Mouline  Dutton,  at  Montreal.  Clarke, 
Dodge  &  Co.,  having  obtained  possession  of  the  six  Swift 
bills  and  the  cash  found  on  Imbert's  person,  when 
searched  in  New  York,  were  now  ready  to  send  him  to 
St.  Louis  for  trial.  As  before  stated,  he  had  sold,  imme 
diately  on  reaching  New  York,  the  certificate  of  deposit 


278          PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

in  the  Bank  of  British  North  America,  sent  him  by 
McDonald,  for  about  two  thousand  four  hundred  dollars, 
which  amount  was  found  in  large  notes  carefully  pasted 
between  the  leaves  of  an  old  novel.  This  sum,  with  the 
thirteen  thousand  dollars  in  the  six  Swift  bills,  made  quite 
an  ample  offset  for  the  thirteen  thousand  six  hundred 
dollars  paid  by  Clark  &  Bro.,  of  St.  Louis,  for  the  Bel- 
mont  bill. 

Bangs  now  presented  the  requisition  of  the  Governor 
pf  Missouri,  and  Imbert  was  delivered  into  his  custody, 
to  be  taken  to  St.  Louis.  Just  previous  to  receiving  the 
order,  Bangs  had  been  called  to  the  bedside  of  his  dying 
father,  in  New  York,  and  had  become  thoroughly  tired 
out,  through  anxiety  and  watching.  Nevertheless,  he 
immediately  started  for  Chicago  with  his  prisoner,  via  the 
Hudson  River  and  the  New  York  Central  Railroads. 
After  leaving  Albany,  the  cars  rapidly  filled  with  passen 
gers  and  became  quite  crowded.  Bangs  and  Imbert 
occupied  a  seat  near  the  middle  of  the  car,  the  former 
sitting  next  the  aisle,  with  a  handcuff  on  his  right  wrist 
and  on  Imbert's  left.  As  night  came  on,  Imbert,  who 
had  been  very  talkative  during  the  first  part  of  the 
journey,  began  to  show  signs  of  fatigue,  and,  at  length, 
he  fell  sound  asleep.  Bangs,  also,  began  to  feel  the  effect 
of  his  long  series  of  night-watches,  and  several  times 
caught  himself  nodding ;  but  he  resolutely  shook  off  the 
feeling  of  drowsiness,  remembering  my  strict  orders 
against  sleeping,  while  traveling  with  a  prisoner.  Gradu 
ally,  however,  he  allowed  pleasing  fancies  to  slip  into  his 
mind,  of  the  credit  he  would  gain  from  the  public  for  his 
skill  in  detecting  Imbert's  extensive  schemes;  of  the 


THE  FRENCHMAN;  OR,  BILLS  OF  EXCHANGE.     279 

reception  "  the  boys "  would  give  him  on  arriving  in 
Chicago  with  his  famous  prisoner;  and  of  the  approba 
tion  of  his  chief,  who  would  say  :  "  Well  done,  my  man ; 
the  fidelity  with  which  you  have  executed  my  orders 
shall  not  go  unrewarded."  A  feeling  of  honest  pride 
came  over  him  —  his  head  drooped  lower,  and,  in  a  few 
moments,  for  the  first  and  only  time,  the  detective  was 
asleep  on  duty. 

A  quick  jerk  of  the  train  awakened  him.  Springing  to 
his  feet, he  saw  at  a  glance  that  his  prisoner  was  gone. 
He  knew  that  only  a  few  minutes  could  have  elapsed  since 
he  lost  consciousness,  and  he  rushed  through  the  train, 
scanning  every  face,  until  he  found  the  conductor.  He 
had  satisfied  himself  that  Imbert  was  no  longer  on  the 
train,  and  the  conductor  informed  him  that  they  had 
made  no  stop,  since  leaving  a  station  where  Bangs  knew 
he  had  been  awake,  with  Imbert  safe  beside  him.  There 
were  a  number  of  switch-tracks  at  the  little  town  of  Fonda, 
however,  where  the  train  was  obliged  to  run  slowly,  in 
order  to  pass  in  safety,  and  it  was  possible  that  Imbert 
had  jumped  off  at  that  point.  On  returning  to  the  car 
where  he  had  been  sitting,  Bangs  was  told  by  one  of  the 
passengers,  that  his  companion — Imbert  —  had  climbed 
out  over  the  seat  in  front,  in  a  very  considerate  manner, 
as  if  anxious  not  to  disturb  Bangs'  nap,  and  had  jumped 
off  at  Fonda.  Bangs  was  now  in  a  state  of  such  mental 
distress,  at  the  thought  of  having  allowed  a  prisoner  to 
escape,  by  his  carelessness,  that  he  forgot  all  his  bodily 
fatigue ;  and  he  determined  not  to  return  to  Chicago  until 
he  had  recaptured  Imbert.  Accordingly,  at  the  next  sta 
tion,  he  took  a  freight  train  back  to  Fonda,  and  arrived 


280          PINKERTON^S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

there  at  about  ten  o'clock  at  night.  He  routed  out  two 
constables,  and  made  as  thorough  a  search  as  was  possi 
ble,  all  over  the  town,  wherever  it  was  likely  that  a  person 
could  conceal  himself;  but  no  trace  of  Imbert  could  be 
found,  nor  had  any  one  seen  him  jump  from  the  train. 

At  two  o'clock  in  the  morning,  being  completely  ex 
hausted,  Bangs  gave  up  the  search,  for  a  time,  and  went 
to  the  principal  hotel  to  await  daylight,  when  he  proposed 
to  get  horses  and  scour  the  country.  At  the  hotel,  he  was 
told  that  all  the  rooms  were  taken,  but  that  if  he  did  not 
object  to  sleeping  with  a  stranger,  he  could  occupy  a  bed 
with  a  gentleman  who  had  arrived  that  evening.  Bangs 
was  too  tired  to  mind  sleeping  with  any  one,  and  he  was 
shown  immediately  to  his  room.  On  entering  the  room, 
he  threw  himself  upon  a  sofa,  and  gave  himself  up  to 
bitter  reflections.  As  he  did  so,  he  noticed  the  handcuffs 
hanging  to  his  wrist.  In  his  excitement,  he  had  forgotten 
to  remove  them.  Ah  !  what  a  source  of  sorrow  that  vacant 
cuff  had  been  to  him  !  The  more  he  thought  about  it,  the 
more  angry  he  became.  His  nature  rebelled  at  the  thought 
of  having  been  outwitted  so  easily  by  a  foreigner  ;  he  now 
saw  that  Imbert's  vivacity  at  first,  and  his  assumed  slum 
ber,  subsequently,  were  parts  of  a  cunning  plan  of  escape. 
But  regrets  were  useless,  and  he  prepared  to  retire,  hoping 
to  capture  his  man  in  the  morning.  His  principal  fear 
was,  that  Imbert  had  concealed  himself  on  the  same  freight 
train  by  which  Bangs  had  returned  to  Fonda ;  in  which 
case,  Imbert  would  be  safe  in  the  crowd  at  Albany  before 
morning.  Just  before  blowing  out  his  candle,  which  only 
feebly  lighted  up  the  room,  Bangs  turned  down  the  clothes 
which  partly  covered  his  bed-fellow's  face ;  he  then  dis- 


THE  FRENCHMAN;  OR,  BILLS  OF  EXCHANGE     281 

covered,  to  his  intense  delight,  that  the  person  before  him 
was  Imbert,  the  picture  of  sleeping  innocence,  without  a 
shade  of  care  on  his  amiable  face.  Bangs  locked  the 
door,  hid  the  key,  secured  the  window,  and  slipped  softly 
into  bed  to  await  Imbert's  awakening.  Shortly  after  day 
break,  Imbert  stretched,  yawned  a  few  times,  and  sitting 
bolt  upright,  gazed  down  at  Bangs,  who  lay  beside  him 
with  his  eyes  wide  open.  It  would  be  impossible  to  des 
cribe  the  expression  on  Imbert's  face  as  he  looked  at 
Bangs.  He  had  gone  to  the  most  public  place  in  town, 
on  jumping  from  the  train,  rightly  judging  that  no  one 
would  think  of  looking  for  him  there ;  and  now,  to  find 
himself  still  under  Bangs'  charge,  made  him  actually 
speechless  for  a  moment.  At  length,  he  broke  out : 

"  My  gar,  Mr.  Bangs,  where  in  h — 1  you  come  from  ?  " 

Bangs  said  that  he  had  come  to  escort  his  prisoner  to 
the  place  last-mentioned ;  and  he  then  proceeded  to 
deliver  a  short  lecture  on  the  uselessness  of  any  French 
man  trying  to  outwit  a  Yankee. 

"  Now,"  said  he,  "  Mr.  Imbert,  when  I  saw  you  trying  to 
loosen  your  hand  from  the  hand-cuff,  I  determined  to  feign 
sleep,  just  to  see  what  you  would  do.  You  slipped  off  the 
hand-cuff,  climbed  over  the  seat  in  front,  and  went  out 
upon  the  platform.  As  you  jumped  off  on  one  side,  I 
jumped  off  on  the  other  ;  I  then  followed  you  to  the  hotel 
and  requested  the  landlord  to  give  me  the  same  room  as 
yourself.  I  hope  this  little  frolic  will  teach  you  that  it  is 
impossible  to  escape  from  a  Pinker  ton  detective" 

As  Bangs  finished  his  remarks,  Imbert  threw  himself 
back  in  the  bed,  saying : 

"  I  give  it  up.     I  won't  try  it  again." 


282  PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

The  journey  to  Chicago  was  made  without  further  inci 
dent.  On  arriving  here,  Imbert  called  to  see  me ;  and, 
having  learned  that  all  his  schemes  had  been  discovered, 
he  complimented  me  very  highly  upon  my  skill  and  fore 
thought  as  a  detective.  He  expressed  great  admiration 
for  the  plans  laid  to  circumvent  him,  quite  as  unconcern 
edly  as  if  he  were  an  entirely  disinterested  party.  He 
was  also  taken  to  visit  Mr.  Swift,  to  whom  he  politely 
renewed  the  assurance  of  his  distinguished  consideration. 
In  reply  to  the  question,  whether  he  did  not  feel  ashamed 
of  himself,  after  having  been  detected  in  such  enormous 
swindles,  he  said : 

"  Oh  !  no  ;  I  did  not  scheat  on  the  bills  —  I  only  fur 
nished  the  bankers  the  means  to  scheat  each  other." 

He  was  taken  to  St.  Louis  the  next  day.  He  had  a 
hearing  upon  the  charge  of  forgery,  on  the  twenty-sixth 
of  October,  when  he  was  held  for  trial  in  default  of  ten 
thousand  dollars  bail.  At  his  final  trial,  he  was  found 
guilty,  and  was  sentenced  to  imprisonment  in  the  Stag's 
prison,  at  hard  labor,  for  ten  years.  He  wrote  me  several 
letters  while  in  prison,  and  made  strenuous  efforts  to 
obtain  his  release ;  but  they  all  proved  unavailing,  and  he 
died  at  the  end  of  the  eighth  year  of  his  confinement. 

Thus  ended,  in  disgrace,  the  career  of  a  man  of  large 
abilities  and  more  than  ordinary  advantages.  He  com 
menced  his  downward  career  as  a  smuggler,  in  order  to 
increase  his  gains,  and  the  detection  of  this  violation  of 
law  drove  him  to  even  lower  depths  of  crime.  It  is  a 
universal  law,  that  crime  breeds  crime  ;  and  no  man,  on 
taking  the  first  step,  can  possibly  know  where  his  future 
paths  will  lead  him. 


14  DAY  USE 

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